A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket boosted a new Global Positioning System satellite into space Wednesday, the latest in a series of upgraded navigation beacons with improved accuracy and longevity.
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NASA's $600 million Kepler Space Telescope, a leading player in the hunt for Earth-like planets orbiting sun-like stars, has been sidelined by problems with stabilizing gyroscopic reaction wheels. Read More...

A Soyuz spacecraft carrying three outgoing space station crew members undocked Monday, on track for landing in Kazakhstan to close out a 146-day mission. Read More...

Astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Christopher Cassidy carried out a five-hour 30-minute spacewalk Saturday to remove and replace a suspect coolant pump assembly on the space station's power truss. Read More...

NASA managers are hopeful the replacement of a pump module during an impromptu spacewalk Saturday will eliminate an ammonia coolant leak aboard the International Space Station, officials said Friday.
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Pending final approval, space station astronauts are gearing up for an unscheduled spacewalk Saturday to look for the source of an ammonia coolant leak on the far left end of the lab's solar power truss. Read More...

A Russian cargo ship hobbled by a jammed navigation antenna glided into its port on the International Space Station early Friday, completing a dramatic automated rendezvous. Read More...

Russian flight controllers are troubleshooting a problem with a navigation antenna on an unmanned Progress supply ship launched Wednesday on a two-day flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

A commercially developed rocket blasted off from the Virginia coast and streaked into space Sunday, chalking up a picture-perfect maiden flight that sets the stage for space station cargo flights later this year. Read More...

For the second time in four days, the maiden flight of a powerful new rocket designed to boost space station cargo ships into orbit was called off Saturday, this time because high upper-level winds, officials said.
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Cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko staged a six-hour 38-minute spacewalk Friday, accomplishing their primary objectives but dropping an experiment panel overboard. Read More...

Running two days late, Orbital Sciences managers decided Thursday to delay the maiden flight of the company's new Antares rocket one more day to Saturday because of expected bad weather. Read More...

NASA's Kepler space telescope has discovered the smallest worlds yet found orbiting in or near the habitable zones of two distant suns, researchers report.
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The maiden flight of a new rocket designed to loft space station cargo ships into orbit was called off 12 minutes before liftoff Wednesday when an umbilical unexpectedly pulled away from the second stage. Read More...

Orbital Sciences Corp. made final preparations Tuesday for the first flight of its Antares rocket, a commercially-built booster designed to launch cargo ships to the International Space Station. Read More...

NASA is working on plans to robotically capture and tow a small asteroid back to Earth's vicinity by the end of the decade, setting the stage for manned visits in the early 2020s, officials say. Read More...

A $2 billion cosmic ray detector attached to the International Space Station has detected positrons that could be the result of dark matter interactions, but scientists say more observations are needed to be sure.
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A commercial cargo capsule plunged back to Earth Tuesday, wrapping up a month-long space station resupply mission with an on-target splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket boosted a missile early warning satellite into space Tuesday, the second in a new generation of infrared surveillance stations.
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Running a day late, three space station crewmen strapped into their Soyuz ferry craft and dropped out of orbit Friday, plunging to a touchdown on the fog-shrouded Kazakh steppe to close out a 144-day mission.
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Dismal weather in Kazakhstan forced Russian flight controllers to order a one-day landing delay for two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut who are closing out a nearly five-month stay in space. Read More...

Analyzing samples drilled from the interior of a sedimentary rock, the Curiosity Mars rover has detected traces of the chemicals and compounds necessary for a habitable environment in the distant past. Read More...

Work to switch operations to a backup flight computer aboard the Curiosity Mars rover is continuing amid analysis to figure out how to fix memory corruption discovered last week in the rover's active computer. Read More...

After a flawless rendezvous, a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule was captured by the International Space Station's robot arm early Sunday, bringing more than a ton of supplies and equipment to the outpost. Read More...

With its propulsion system working flawlessly, a SpaceX cargo ship loaded with supplies and equipment was cleared by NASA Saturday to press ahead for a day-late capture by the lab complex early Sunday.
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A SpaceX cargo ship bound for the International Space Station thundered into orbit Friday, but trouble with maneuvering thrusters triggered extensive analysis and a delayed rendezvous. Read More...

Space radiation may be to blame for corrupted memory used by the Curiosity Mars rover's flight computer, resulting in software glitches that interrupted the flow of science data Wednesday. Read More...

SpaceX readied a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship for launch Friday to deliver more than 2,300 pounds of science gear, spare parts and crew supplies to the International Space Station. Read More...

An innovative NASA X-ray telescope working in concert with a European Space Agency satellite has measured the rotation of a supermassive black hole lurking at the heart of a distant galaxy. Read More...

A wealthy space tourist announced plans Wednesday to launch a high-risk manned flight to Mars in 2018, sending a man and a woman on a bare-bones 501-day round-trip flyby.
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The Curiosity rover's power drill has successfully collected its first subsurface sample, about a tablespoon of powdered rock that will be fed into the spacecraft's on-board laboratory instruments for detailed analysis. Read More...

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered a solar system 210 light years from Earth with the smallest planet yet found orbiting another sun-like star. Read More...

A procedural issue during a software update aboard the International Space Station Tuesday briefly knocked the lab's satellite communications system out of action, but the problem was quickly resolved.
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An asteroid a half a football field across is expected to safely pass within just 17,200 miles of Earth on Friday, a record close encounter that will carry it well inside the orbits of communications satellites. Read More...

A Russian supply ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment blasted off Monday and flew a fast-track trajectory to docking with the International Space Station just six hours later. (UPDATED)
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An Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from California Monday and boosted a new Earth-watching Landsat into its planned polar orbit to kick off an $885 million mission to monitor the planet and its resources. (UPDATED) Read More...

In a long-awaited milestone, the Curiosity Mars rover successfully drilled into a martian rock, prompting NASA science chief John Grunsfeld to declare the nuclear-powered robot fully operational. Read More...

A new study indicates some 60 percent of the galaxy's most ubiquitous stars likely host planets smaller than Neptune and about 6 percent host Earth-size worlds orbiting in the so-called "Goldilocks" zone. Read More...

In an emotional memorial, the widow of the shuttle Columbia's commander recalled their last meeting the day before launch and the devastation the families felt when they learned their loved ones had perished.
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Recalling the 2003 Columbia disaster. An essay by William Harwood. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket rumbled to life and blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Wednesday evening, boosting a powerful NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite into orbit. Read More...

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. is joining Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser commercial manned spacecraft program to help with flight certification and composites manufacturing, officials say. Read More...

NASA's Opportunity Mars rover, with a design life of just 90 days, moves into its 10th year of operations, exploring the rim of Endeavour Crater. Principal Investigator Steve Squyres discusses the mission. Read More...

A second company has jumped into what the founders hope will be a lucrative emerging market, prospecting for raw materials among near-Earth asteroids using fleets of low-cost robotic spacecraft. Read More...

An inflatable module developed by a Las Vegas hotel entrepreneur will be attached to the International Space Station in 2015 for a two-year test run to evaluate the technology's performance in space. Read More...

The European Space Agency will supply the service module that will power an initial unmanned test flight of NASA's Orion deep space exploration capsule in 2017, officials say.
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Taking their time with a surprising variety of scientific targets, scientists are gearing up to test the Curiosity Mars rover's powerful impact drill before beginning a year-long trek to Mount Sharp some six miles away. Read More...

The first American manned spacecraft to reach orbit in the wake of the shuttle's retirement will be crewed by company test pilots -- not NASA astronauts -- as early as mid 2015, company officials say.
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A Russian Soyuz spacecraft glided to a smooth holiday docking with the International Space Station Friday, bringing three fresh crew members to the lab complex after a two-day orbital chase.
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Braving arctic temperatures, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft roared to life and streaked smoothly into orbit Wednesday, carrying a veteran three-man crew on a two-day flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

Looking forward to Christmas in orbit, a Russian cosmonaut, a Canadian shuttle veteran and a NASA physician-astronaut made final preparations for blastoff Wednesday aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. Read More...

Going out with a bang, two small NASA probes that flew in formation to precisely map the moon's gravity field crashed into a mile-high mountainside Monday, bringing a successful mission to an abrupt end.
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Two washing machine-size science probes that have completed their mission to map the lunar gravity field will slam into a mile-high mountainside Monday, bringing a successful mission to a kamikaze conclusion.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Tuesday, boosting an unmanned military spaceplane into orbit for the program's third classified mission. Read More...

Spending a year in the cramped confines of the International Space Station will be challenging, but the two crewmen who plan to do just that in 2015-16 say they don't anticipate any major problems. Read More...

NASA announced plans Tuesday to build and launch a new rover to the red planet in 2020 based on the design of the agency's hugely successful Curiosity. Read More...

NASA's aging Voyager 1 probe has crossed into an unexpected, exceedingly remote region of the solar system that may represent the spacecraft's final step before moving into the vast realm of interstellar space.
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NASA's Curiosity rover has found traces of simple organic compounds in a martian soil sample, but more tests are needed to rule out the presence of any lingering earthly contaminants in the rover's science gear. Read More...

NASA's Messenger spacecraft has found strong evidence for vast ice deposits in ultra-cold, permanently shadowed craters near the poles of hellish Mercury, scientists said Thursday.
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NASA is downplaying widespread speculation that one of the Curiosity Mars rover's instruments, designed to look for organic compounds, has made a major discovery. A news conference is planned Monday. Read More...

Three space station fliers strapped into their Soyuz ferry craft, undocked and plunged back to Earth Sunday, making a fiery descent to a frigid pre-dawn landing in Kazakhstan to close out a 127-day stay in space. Read More...

Buffeted by ethereal whirlwinds and twisters, the Curiosity Mars rover is wrapping up initial soil analysis operations and preparing to move on in search of suitable targets for a compact rock drill. Read More...

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has not found any definitive evidence of methane in the thin air at the Gale Crater landing site, project scientists said Friday, but additional observations are planned.
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The shuttle Atlantis was hauled out of the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building for the final time Friday, the last of the iconic winged orbiters to make the transition to Earth-bound museum duty.
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Amid spacewalk preparations, the Russians launched a Progress supply ship, monitored its automated docking with the space station and then adjusted the lab's orbit to avoid a piece of space debris. Read More...

In a major milestone for the space station program, a commercial cargo capsule loaded with experiment samples returned to Earth Sunday, plunging back through the atmosphere to a Pacific Ocean splashdown.
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Space station commander Sunita Williams and Akihiko Hoshide plan a Nov. 1 spacewalk to isolate a small, but growing leak in a solar array ammonia coolant loop. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut glided to a smooth docking with the International Space Station Thursday, boosting the lab's crew back to six. Read More...

Facing a particularly intense first week in space, two cosmonauts and a NASA shuttle veteran geared up for launch early Tuesday aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft bound for flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

The Curiosity Mars rover is processing its first soil sample in an instrument designed to identify the minerals present in soil and rock samples. A small shiny fragment near the rover is thought to be naturally occurring. Read More...

A commercial cargo capsule loaded with a half-ton of supplies and equipment was captured by the International Space Station's robot arm early Wednesday after a flawless final rendezvous.
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Soprano Sarah Brightman, believed to be one of the world's wealthiest classical crossover performers, has bought a seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a 10-day visit to the International Space Station. Read More...

SpaceX engineers are reviewing telemetry to figure out what caused a dramatic first stage engine failure Sunday night during launch of a commercial cargo ship bound for the International Space Station. Read More...

An unmanned cargo capsule built by SpaceX under a $1.6 billion commercial contract with NASA was boosted into orbit Sunday on its first operational flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut will spend a full year aboard the International Space Station in 2015-16, twice as long as current crews, to collect medical data on long-duration spaceflight.
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The Mars Curiosity rover is pausing for a few weeks near fine-grained sand dunes to scoop up soil and run it through the vehicle's sample acquisition system to clean out lingering traces of Earth's environment.
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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has found outcrops of conglomerate rocks made up of eroded gravels that scientists believe were transported across the floor of Gale Crater by a "vigorous" flow of water. Read More...

Trouble with a control panel aboard the Russian Zvezda command module prevented the planned undocking of an unmanned European cargo ship from the International Space Station Tuesday. Read More...

A two-million-second time exposure using cameras aboard the Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of proto galaxies as they appeared just 450 million years after the big bang. Read More...

Feeling the wind on its wings for the last time, the space shuttle Endeavour, bolted to the back of a NASA jumbo jet, closed out a three-day valedictory tour Friday, landing at Los Angeles International Airport. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour, on its way to retirement in Los Angeles, flew from Houston to Edwards Air Force Base atop a 747 jumbo jet Thursday, dropping down for low passes over communities along the way.
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The Curiosity Mars rover, more than halfway to its first scientific destination, is pausing for a few days to carry out its first hands-on geology, focusing on a pyramid-shaped rock known as 'Jake.' Read More...

Bolted to the back of a 747 jumbo jet, the space shuttle Endeavour took off on its final voyage Wednesday, a "bittersweet" valedictory tour on the way to museum duty in Los Angeles. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour was prepped for takeoff Wednesday on a cross-country tour atop a 747 transport jet, giving the public one last chance to see the orbiter in flight before transfer to a Los Angeles museum. Read More...

Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA flight engineer undocked from the International Space Station and fell back to Earth Sunday, making a pinpoint landing in Kazakhstan to close out a 125-day voyage. Read More...

With his family looking on, Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, was buried at sea Friday. Read More...

Neil Armstrong, the unassuming test pilot, family man and reluctant hero who will forever walk in history as the first man on the moon, was honored at the Washington National Cathedral Thursday. Read More...

Engineers testing the Curiosity Mars rover are wrapping up a series of robot arm calibration and motion tests before resuming a slow trek toward a nearby rock formation this weekend. Read More...

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, now about 270 feet from its landing site, is pausing for a week of robot arm tests and checkout before pressing on to Glenelg, an area where three types of rock come together.
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Spacewalkers Sunita Williams and Akihiko Hoshide successfully re-installed an electrical switching unit on the space station's solar array truss Wednesday, restoring lost power to the lab complex (UPDATED). Read More...

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Akihiko Hoshide will venture back outside the International Space Station Wednesday for another attempt to install a replacement power switching unit (updated timeline). Read More...

Engineers are assessing spacewalk repair options to free a stuck bolt and complete the installation of a power distribution box aboard the space station that derailed a spacewalk Thursday.
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An Atlas 5 rocket boosted a pair of heavily shielded satellites into space early Thursday, kicking off a $686 million mission to map out the structure and behavior of the Van Allen radiation belts. Read More...

Space station astronauts Sunita Williams and Akihiko Hoshide are set for a spacewalk Thursday to replace a power switching unit and install power cables needed for a future Russian module. Read More...

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has beamed back stunning photos of the foothills of Mount Sharp, showing a rugged landscape marked by towering hills and gaping canyons reminiscent of the American Southwest. Read More...

Neil Alden Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon and an enduring icon of the the space age for taking "one giant leap for mankind," died Saturday after complications from cardiovascular surgery. Read More...

On the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, moonwalker Neil Armstrong, who passed away Saturday at the age of 82, recalled the engineering triumph that won the Cold War space race. Read More...

A second attempt to launch an Atlas 5 rocket carrying a pair of NASA satellites was called off early Saturday because of nearby thunderstorms. Faced with a dismal forecast, NASA delayed a third try to Aug. 30. Read More...

Launch of an Atlas 5 rocket carrying two NASA satellites to study the Van Allen radiation belts was rescheduled for Saturday after engineers resolved an issue with tracking equipment. Read More...

Two heavily shielded satellites set for launch early Friday will fly in tandem through Earth's energetic Van Allen radiation belts to probe their structure and how they are affected by solar storms. Read More...

In a major milestone, the Curiosity Mars rover took its first baby steps Wednesday, rolling about 15 feet forward, turning and then backing up to prove the $2.5 billion science lab is, in fact, ready to rove. Read More...

With a broken wind sensor the only problem of any note aboard the Curiosity Mars rover, engineers planned to uplink commands overnight for an initial test drive. Read More...

The Curiosity Mars rover flexed its 7-foot-long robot arm for the first time Monday, moving it through a commanded series of steps to verify the basic operation of the complex appendage.
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NASA plans to launch a relatively low-cost Mars lander in 2016 that will make a rocket-powered descent to the surface to study the hidden interior of the red planet. Read More...

Realtime coverage of Russian EVA-31. Read More...

The Curiosity rover successfully test fired a powerful laser at a nearby rock Sunday, blasting it with rapid-fire million-watt pulses to vaporize the outer layers for spectroscopic analysis. Read More...

The Curiosity rover likely will spend the rest of the year working near its landing site in Gale Crater before it heads for the rugged foothills of Mount Sharp, just four-and-a-half miles, but many months, away. Read More...

Intriguing video combines low-resolution descent video from the Curiosity Mars rover with mission control audio and a timeline of major entry, descent and landing events to give viewers a ringside seat. Read More...

Engineers successfully updated the Curiosity rover's computer software and plan initial tests of the mobile science lab's ability to drive across the martian terrain within the next week or so, officials said Tuesday.
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President Obama congratulated the Mars Science Laboratory team Monday for the successful landing of the Curiosity rover, joking that engineers should let him know ASAP if the spacecraft spots any martians. Read More...

The electronic brain controlling NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has far less horsepower than the microchips found in a modern smart phone. But it has one big advantage: it's virtually impervious to high-energy radiation. Read More...

In a complex bit of electronic brain surgery, engineers are gearing up to flush landing software from the Curiosity rover's central computer and replace it with programming optimized for surface operations. Read More...

A small vertical-takeoff-and-landing rocket being used to test advanced technologies veered off course an instant after liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center Thursday, crashed and exploded. There were no injuries.
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The Curiosity Mars rover, stepping through a complex post-landing checklist in near flawless fashion, has raised its main camera mast and beamed down razor-sharp navigation camera views of its surroundings. Read More...

The Curiosity Mars rover survived its nail-biting plunge to a pinpoint landing on the floor of Gale Crater in remarkably good shape, engineers said Monday as tests and checkout proceeded. (UPDATED) Read More...

In an unparalleled technological triumph, a one-ton nuclear-powered rover the size of a small car was lowered to the surface of Mars late Sunday to kick off an unprecedented $2.5 billion mission. Read More...

The Mars Science Laboratory rover closed in on its target Saturday, steadily accelerating under the increasing tug of the red planet's gravity as it streaked toward a high-stakes descent to the surface overnight Sunday. Read More...

NASA announced contracts Friday totaling up to $900 million to be divvied up between three companies -- SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada -- to continue development of commercial manned spacecraft. Read More...

A Russian Progress cargo ship loaded with three tons of fuel, hardware and supplies, glided to an automated docking with the International Space Station Wednesday evening after an abbreviated four-orbit rendezvous.
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In a $2.5 billion gamble, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover will attempt a pinpoint landing on the red planet overnight Sunday to search for the chemical building blocks of life and signs of past or present habitability. Read More...

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory will rely on a rocket-powered "sky crane" to lower the car-size rover to the surface, a make-or-break maneuver that solves a host of daunting technical challenges. Read More...

During the Curiosity rover's nail-biting descent to Mars, engineers will rely on an aging NASA science satellite to relay telemetry back to Earth that will confirm success or failure in near realtime. Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship successfully re-docked with the International Space Station Saturday after an aborted approach last week during tests of a new rendezvous antenna.
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An unmanned Japanese cargo ship carrying more than five tons of supplies and equipment was attached to the International Space Station early Friday, one week after launch from southern Japan. Read More...

A rocket firing Tuesday nudged NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft back into position to relay data from the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory directly back to Earth during the rover's descent to the surface Aug. 3. Read More...

An attempt to re-dock a Russian Progress supply ship with the International Space Station was aborted by the ship's flight computer Monday night when a new rendezvous system failed to operate as expected. Read More...

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space and an advocate for science education, died July 23 after a bout with pancreatic cancer. She was 61. Read More...

An unmanned Japanese rocket carrying more than five tons of supplies, science gear and other equipment vaulted smoothly into orbit late Friday, setting off on a weeklong flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz ferry craft glided to an automated docking with the International Space Station early Tuesday, bringing three fresh crew members to the lab complex two days after launch from Kazakhstan.
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Problems with a NASA satellite in orbit around Mars could delay confirmation of a successful landing by the agency's Mars Science Laboratory rover, but engineers say that will have no impact on the actual descent. Read More...

A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian commander, a NASA flight engineer and a Japanese astronaut -- all veteran space travelers -- blasted off late Saturday (U.S. time) and set off after the International Space Station. Read More...

Engineers are making final preparations for launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft early Sunday to ferry an all-veteran U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew to the International Space Station. Read More...

The first space-bound Orion capsule, the centerpiece of NASA's post-shuttle exploration program, was officially unveiled at NASA's Florida spaceport Monday. An unmanned test flight is planned for 2014.
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Three station fliers strapped into a Soyuz ferry craft and plunged back to Earth early Sunday, landing in Kazakhstan to close out a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
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A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket, the most powerful in the post-shuttle U.S. inventory, boosted a top-secret National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite into space early Friday.
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China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying two men and the first Chinese woman to fly in space, returned to Earth Friday after an ambitious 13-day test flight to a prototype space station module.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite blasted off Wednesday, successfully boosting its secret payload into orbit. Read More...

The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft executed an automated docking with the Tiangong 1 research module early Monday, completing China's first manned orbital linkup. Read More...

An unmanned Air Force spaceplane dropped out of orbit and glided to a computer-controlled California landing early Saturday to close out a classified 469-day military mission.
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A Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft carrying a space veteran and two rookies, including China's first female "taikonaut," rocketed into orbit Saturday on a mission to dock with a prototype space station module. Read More...

A small X-ray telescope was boosted into orbit by an air-launched Pegasus XL rocket Wednesday, the first step in an ambitious low-cost mission to study supermassive black holes and the creation of heavy elements. Read More...

NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory rover is in good shape and on target for a nail-biting seven-minute plunge to a bulls-eye landing on the red planet in early August, mission managers said Monday.
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A Chinese Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was moved to its launching stand Saturday for work to ready the ship for launch later this month on a manned flight to dock with a prototype lab module. Read More...

The Air Force is preparing to bring its unmanned X-37B spaceplane back to Earth after 15 months of clandestine military operations. Landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., is expected sometime in the next two weeks. Read More...

In the final chapter of a history-making space drama, a commercial cargo ship completed a near-flawless test flight to the International Space Station with an on-target splashdown off the Baja California peninsula Thursday. Read More...

Updated Dragon unberthing-to-splashdown timeline. Read More...

Running well ahead of schedule,the International Space Station's crew opened hatches between the Harmony module and the newly arrived SpaceX Dragon cargo ship early Saturday.
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In a moment of high drama on the high frontier, flight engineer Donald Pettit, operating the International Space Station's robot arm, reached out and captured a commercial cargo ship to complete a complex rendezvous. Read More...

A commercial cargo ship carried out a close flyby of the International Space Station early Thursday, successfully completing a series of tests to set the stage for berthing at the lab complex Friday. Read More...

Three days after a last-second launch abort, an unmanned cargo ship bound for the International Space Station blasted off early Tuesday and streaked into orbit to kick off the first commercial flight to the lab complex.
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SpaceX engineers replaced a suspect valve in an engine that triggered a last-second launch abort Saturday and cleared the company's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo capsule for a second try Tuesday. Read More...

Updated SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon launch to-docking timeline (May 22 launch target). Read More...

Launch of a commercial cargo ship bound for the International Space Station was aborted at the last instant early Saturday because of trouble with an engine valve. Repairs were ordered in hopes of making a Tuesday launch. Read More...

In what proponents hail as the dawn of a new era in commercial spaceflight, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship are being prepped for an inaugural flight to the International Space Station (mission preview). Read More...

A Russian Soyuz ferry craft glided to a smooth linkup with the International Space Station early Thursday, bringing three fresh crew members to the orbital lab complex. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying one of the world's most experienced space fliers, a rookie cosmonaut and a NASA shuttle veteran blasted off from Kazakhstan to kick off a two-day flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

Work to validate critical navigation and control software has forced SpaceX to again delay the maiden flight of a commercial cargo ship bound for the International Space Station. Launch is now targeted for May 19. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket boosted a $1.7 billion military communications satellite into orbit Friday, the second in a planned constellation of advanced jam-resistant relay stations.
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Launch of a commercial cargo ship bound for the International Space Station almost certainly will be delayed from May 7 to at least May 10 and possibly longer to allow time for additional pre-flight analysis, sources say. Read More...

SpaceX test fired the nine first stage engines powering the company's Falcon 9 rocket Monday, a key milestone before launch May 7 on the first commercial cargo flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

Closing out a five-and-a-half-month stay in space, a NASA astronaut and two cosmonauts undocked from the International Space Station early Friday, setting the stage for a fiery ride back to Earth.
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Planetary Resources Inc. hopes to turn science fiction into reality with plans to identify near-Earth asteroids loaded with ice, precious metals and other raw materials for eventual mining operations, company officials say.
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Launch of a commercial cargo ship making its first flight to the International Space Station is expected to slip a week or so to give engineers more time to complete pre-flight testing and analysis, officials said Monday.
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An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Friday, rocketing smoothly into orbit and setting off after the International Space Station. Read More...

NASA officially turned the shuttle Discovery over to the Smithsonian Institution Thursday, completing the ship's transition from the world's premier manned spacecraft to the quiet confines of a museum hangar. Read More...

The space shuttle Discovery, bolted to the back of a NASA 747 jumbo jet, departed the Kennedy Space Center for the last time Tuesday, putting on a final show for thousands of Space Coast residents and tourists. Read More...

Pending the completion of last-minute work and a final review, a commercial cargo ship making its maiden flight to the International Space Station should be ready for launch April 30, officials said Monday. Read More...

Flight controllers and the crew of the International Space Station successfully hooked up a backup power channel Saturday to route station power to a European Space Agency cargo ship, avoiding the prospect of a hurried unloading and premature undocking. (UPDATED) Read More...

The six-man crew of the International Space Station split up and briefly took shelter inside two three-seat Russian Soyuz re-entry vehicles early Saturday as a piece of space junk whizzed harmlessly past the lab complex.
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An Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from Kourou, French Guiana, early Friday, boosting a European Space Agency cargo ship into orbit for a flight to the International Space Station (UPDATED).
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An Atlas 5 rocket boosted a powerful new communications satellite into space Friday evening, the first of five planned relay stations that will act like orbital cell phone towers for military personnel around the world. Read More...

With the United States trailing the Soviet Union in a tense Cold War battle to win the high frontier, astronaut John Glenn stepped onto the world stage 50 years ago Feb. 20, rocketing into orbit and lifting a nation's spirits. Read More...

John Glenn believes the decision to retire the space shuttle before a replacement vehicle is ready to fly was a mistake that threatens to cripple America's space program. Read More...

Fifty years ago, John Glenn rocketed into orbit aboard a cramped Mercury capsule, becoming one of the nation's enduring heroes. In an interview with CBS News, Glenn recalls his historic flight amid worries about the future. Read More...

Two Russian spacewalkers moved a telescoping crane from one space station module to another Thursday, but the work proved more difficult than expected and other tasks had to be deferred. Read More...

NASA managers are hopeful Congress will support the Obama administration's request for more than $800 million in 2013 to fund development of commercial manned spacecraft. The alternative, they say, is additional delay. Read More...

The Obama administration is requesting $17.7 billion for NASA in its fiscal 2013 budget, boosting spending for commercial manned space flight while reducing the scope of Mars exploration.
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Launch of the first commercial cargo ship bound for the International Space Station will slip from late March to late April at the earliest to give SpaceX engineers time to fully test complex flight software, officials say. Read More...

Upcoming Russian Soyuz flights to the International Space Station will be delayed in the wake of a test mishap that over pressurized and damaged the next spacecraft in the launch sequence. Read More...

After a two-day orbital chase, an unmanned Russian Progress supply ship carrying 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment carried out a smooth automated docking with the International Space Station Friday evening. Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday, bound for the International Space Station. Read More...

Launch of a SpaceX commercial cargo ship on an initial test flight to the International Space Station, originally planned for Feb. 7, is expected to slip to at least the end of March, officials said Friday Read More...

An Air Force communications satellite that will be used in part to relay commands to unmanned drones was boosted into orbit Thursday by a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket (UPDATED).
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A Russian Mars probe, stranded in low-Earth orbit after a malfunction following launch in November, reportedly fell back into the atmosphere Sunday, apparently breaking up over the southern Pacific Ocean west of Chile. Read More...

Ringing in the new year with back-to-back successes, a second NASA science satellite slipped into orbit around the moon Sunday, one day after an identical spacecraft braked into the same polar orbit. Read More...

Amid word of yet another Russian space failure -- the fifth this year -- a Russian Soyuz ferry craft glided to a problem-free docking with the International Space Station Friday, boosting the lab's crew back to six. Read More...

In bitterly cold weather, a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a three-man all-veteran crew blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday and set off after the International Space Station. Read More...

A Soyuz spacecraft is poised for launch Wednesday to ferry three fresh crew members to the International Space Station, boosting the lab's staff back to six. Read More...

A costly Russian Mars probe, stranded in low-Earth orbit after a malfunction following launch Nov. 8, is expected to fall back into Earth's atmosphere next month, Russian officials confirmed Friday. Read More...

Faced with uncertain budgets, NASA is giving up fixed-price contracts and moving back to more flexible, but less comprehensive, Space Act Agreements to continue design work on a new commercial manned spacecraft. Read More...

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan have teamed up for a new rocket that would be carried aloft by a huge twin-fuselage mothership and launched at 30,000 feet. Read More...

NASA has agreed to let Space Exploration Technologies combine two test flights of the company's unmanned Dragon cargo ship into a single mission, aiming for a launch Feb. 7 to the International Space Station. Read More...

For the first time, astronomers using NASA's Kepler space telescope have confirmed a roughly Earth-size planet orbiting a sun-like star in the habitable zone where conditions may be favorable for life as it is known on Earth.
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A towering Atlas 5 rocket flashed to life and vaulted into space Saturday, putting on a spectacular show as it boosted NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover on an eight-and-a-half-month voyage to the red planet. Read More...

United Launch Alliance hauled an Atlas 5 rocket carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover to the launch pad Friday for final preparations before blastoff Saturday on a showcase science mission. Read More...

NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory rover, the most complex and scientifically powerful robotic spacecraft ever built to explore the surface of another world, is poised for launch Saturday.
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A Russian Soyuz spacecraft plunged back into the atmosphere Monday evening, carrying three space station crew members to a snowy pre-dawn landing in Kazakhstan to close out a five-and-a-half-month stay in space. Read More...

Launch of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory rover atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket has been delayed one day, from Friday to Saturday, to replace a battery in the booster's self-destruct system.
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A towering 355-foot-tall mobile launch tower was hauled to launch pad 39B Wednesday for structural tests and fit checks before modifications to support the agency's planned heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket.
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A Russian Soyuz spacecraft glided to a smooth automated docking with the International Space Station early Wednesday, closing out a problem-free two-day rendezvous and boosting the lab's crew back to six. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut blasted off in blizzard-like conditions late Sunday U.S. time, kicking off a delayed flight to the International Space Station. Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress cargo ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment completed a smooth automated docking with the International Space Station Wednesday Read More...

A Chinese Long March-2F rocket successfully boosted an unmanned Shenzhou capsule into orbit Monday for an automated rendezvous and docking with a prototype space station module. Read More...

The Boeing Co. will process its proposed CST-100 commercial manned spacecraft in a now-vacant space shuttle processing hangar in a first-of-a-kind deal valued at up to $50 million. Read More...

Two months after a rare Russian launch failure, an unmanned Progress cargo ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station rocketed smoothly into orbit Sunday Read More...

A Delta 2 rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base early Friday, boosting a $1.5 billion weather satellite into space to improve both short-range forecasting and understanding of long-term climate change.
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An out-of-service German space telescope apparently plunged back into the atmosphere late Saturday. Experts predicted much of its heat-resistant 1.7-ton X-ray mirror and carbon composite support structure would survive re-entry to hit the ground, but there was no immediate confirmation. Read More...

In the wake of recent concerns about the effects of prolonged weightlessness on vision, space station astronauts now are carrying out regular eye exams to collect more data. Read More...

SpaceX has unveiled plans to make its Falcon 9 rocket fully reusable, using the engines of the first and second stages for powered descents to vertical landings in a bid to dramatically lower launch costs. Read More...

Analysis of data collected by a NASA infrared space telescope shows there are fewer near-Earth asteroids than previously believed, scientists said Thursday. But most of the nearly 20,000 bodies have yet to be detected. Read More...

In a major milestone for China's space program, a Long March rocket successfully boosted an unmanned prototype space station module into orbit Thursday for tests of robotic rendezvous and docking systems. Read More...

NASA's UARS satellite plunged back into the atmosphere early Saturday, likely raining debris into the north Pacific Ocean. But analysts have not yet confirmed exactly when, or where, the spacecraft came down. Read More...

What appeared to be a communications problem that left Russian flight controllers in the dark about the status of a Soyuz capsule descending to Earth Sept. 16 was, in fact, no problem at all, a crew member said Thursday. Read More...

Amateur satellite trackers hoping to catch a glimpse of NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite when it plunges into the atmosphere Friday will need patience, clear skies and a large helping of luck, experts say. Read More...

Three space station crew members returned to Earth aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-21 crew ferry craft late Thursday, leaving three crewmates behind to await the delayed arrival of replacements. Read More...

NASA's Kepler space telescope, searching for planets around distant suns, has found a Saturn-size world orbiting a pair of stars 200 light years from Earth, the first discovery of a "circumbinary" planet. Read More...

NASA unveiled the design of a new post-shuttle super rocket Wednesday intended to boost astronauts on flights to nearby asteroids and, eventually, Mars. If fully funded, initial test flights are expected in 2017. Read More...

NASA will evaluate ATK's proposed two-stage Liberty rocket as a possible manned launcher for future commercial flights to the space station under an unfunded Space Act Agreement, officials said Tuesday. Read More...

A Delta 2 rocket blasted off Saturday and successfully boosted two NASA science satellites into space to kick off an ambitious $496 million mission to map the moon's gravity and internal structure.
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NASA's decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is expected to plunge back into Earth's atmosphere later this month, producing a shower of debris. Agency experts say risk to the public is minimal. Read More...

Launch of a Delta 2 rocket carrying twin satellites designed to precisely map the moon's gravity has been delayed to Saturday because of high winds aloft and a potential issue with the rocket's propulsion system. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket is on track for launch Thursday, weather permitting, to kick off a $496 million mission to precisely map the moon's gravitational field. Read More...

A space station astronaut said Tuesday the Russians may be able to launch a manned Soyuz spacecraft to the lab complex by early November if an ongoing failure investigation goes well. Read More...

NASA unveiled new closeup views of three Apollo landing sites Tuesday, clearly showing the footprints of visiting astronauts, the lower stages of the lunar landers and the tracks left behind by a dune buggy-like rover. Read More...

NASA's aging Opportunity rover is beginning what excited scientists say is a new mission exploring a 13.7-mile-wide crater that may hold unexpected clues about the ancient environment of the red planet. Read More...

Russian managers have decided to briefly postpone the planned re-entry of a Soyuz ferry craft carrying three space station crew members amid work to pinpoint the cause of a Progress launch failure Aug. 24. Read More...

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has asked outgoing space shuttle Program Manager John Shannon to carry out an independent review of competing options for eventual manned missions beyond low-Earth orbit, officials say. Read More...

Upcoming manned flights to and from the International Space Station are facing delays because of the Aug. 24 failure of an unmanned Soyuz carrying a Progress supply capsule, a senior NASA manager said Monday. Read More...

Russian engineers are assessing telemetry to determine the cause of an upper stage malfunction that triggered the loss of an unmanned Progress cargo ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies bound for the space station. Read More...

NASA's space shuttle program will officially end on Aug. 31, officials said Friday, less than a month and a half after Atlantis landed to close out the agency's 135th and final shuttle mission. Read More...

NASA's $2.4 billion Mars Science Laboratory has completed an exhaustive series of functional tests to verify the car-size rover's readiness for launch in November on an eight-and-a-half-month voyage to the red planet .
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A powerful Atlas 5 rocket roared to life Friday and successfully launched NASA's Juno probe on a five-year voyage to Jupiter, the first step in a $1.1 billion mission to look for clues about the origins of the solar system. Read More...

A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has detected signs of what appear to be seasonal flows of salty water on the surface of the red planet during warmer summer months, researchers said Thursday.
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Boeing will use United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets for initial test flights of the company's planned CST-100 spacecraft, a manned capsule being developed as a commercial venture in a NASA competition. Read More...

Cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Alexander Samokutyaev launched a small amateur radio satellite during a six-hour 23-minute spacewalk Wednesday, but relocation of a large cargo crane had to be postponed. Read More...

NASA's Dawn spacecraft, now in orbit around the asteroid Vesta, is beaming back a treasure trove of data about one of the solar system's most ancient bodies. Read More...

NASA is readying the $1.1 billion Juno probe for launch Aug. 5 on a five-year voyage to Jupiter to kick off a challenging one-year mission to answer key questions about the formation and evolution of the solar system. Read More...

The shuttle Atlantis dropped out of a moon-dappled sky and settled to a flawless landing Thursday to close out NASA's 135th and final shuttle mission, the end of an era for American manned spaceflight. (UPDATED) Read More...

The crew of the shuttle Atlantis is gearing up for NASA's final shuttle re-entry and landing to close out three decades of shuttle operations. There are no technical issues and the weather appears ideal. Read More...

NASA braces for the space shuttle Atlantis' historic return to Florida Thursday, bringing the iconic program to an end after three decades and 135 missions. Read More...

The crew of the shuttle Atlantis, working through one of the busiest days of their mission, tested the ship's re-entry systems Wednesday and packed up for landing Thursday to close out NASA's final shuttle flight. Read More...

The crew of the shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station early Tuesday after a successful resupply mission, setting the stage for NASA's 135th and final shuttle landing Thursday. Read More...

The Atlantis astronauts moved the Raffaello cargo module back to the shuttle Monday, closing out a busy space station resupply mission. The crew then floated back aboard the orbiter to rig the ship for undocking early Tuesday. Read More...

The Atlantis astronauts put in a final day of logistics transfer work Sunday, working through off-duty time to finish moving a last few items into the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for return to Earth. Read More...

Working through the home stretch of NASA's final shuttle mission, the Atlantis astronauts are focusing on repacking a cargo module for return to Earth and wrapping up logistics transfers to the space station. Read More...

Shuttle commander Christopher Ferguson successfully restarted a shuttle flight computer early Friday that failed Thursday, setting off alarms and waking the crew. The astronauts will chat with President Obama later in the day. Read More...

The Atlantis astronauts took a half-day off Thursday to relax and enjoy the view after a busy but productive week in space. The crew is about 70 percent complete with work to transfer cargo to and from the space station. Read More...

The Atlantis astronauts are about halfway through a busy week of supply transfers to the International Space Station. The lab's toilet is back in operation after a brief hiatus, along with the urine recycling system. Read More...

Space station astronauts Michael Fossum and Ronald Garan staged a successful six-hour 31-minute spacewalk Tuesday, the final excursion of the space shuttle era. Read More...

Two space station astronauts are gearing up for a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to install experiment hardware on the lab complex and to move a failed coolant pump to the shuttle Atlantis for return to Earth. Read More...

The Atlantis astronauts attached a bus-size cargo module to the International Space Station early Monday. Mission managers, meanwhile, approved a one-day mission extension to give the crew more time for logistics transfers. Read More...

The space shuttle Atlantis glided to a picture-perfect docking with the International Space Station Sunday, bringing more than five tons of supplies and equipment to the sprawling lab complex in the shuttle program's final visit. Read More...

The Atlantis astronauts are working through a busy day in space, inspecting the shuttle's heat shield and gearing up for rendezvous and docking with International Space Station Sunday. Read More...

After a cliff-hangar countdown, the space shuttle Atlantis majestically rocketed into history Friday, putting on one last show for spectators jamming area roads and beaches to witness NASA's 135th and final shuttle launch. Read More...

Despite a dismal forecast, NASA managers decided to fuel the shuttle Atlantis for a launch attempt Friday, setting the stage for the agency's 135th and final shuttle mission (UPDATED). Read More...

Keeping tabs on stormy weather, engineers readied the shuttle Atlantis for blastoff Friday on NASA's final shuttle flight. Engineers reviewed data Thursday to make sure no sensitive systems were affected by a lightning strike near the pad. Read More...

Forecasters are predicting a 70 percent chance of stormy weather Friday that could delay launch of the shuttle Atlantis. But NASA managers say they plan to press ahead barring a dramatic change for the worse. Read More...

The shuttle Atlantis is poised for launch Friday on the iconic program's 135th and final flight, bringing the curtain down on one of the nation's greatest technological triumphs (mission preview). Read More...

Countdown clocks began ticking Tuesday for the shuttle Atlantis' launch Friday on NASA's 135th and final shuttle mission, a flight to deliver more than 8,000 pounds of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. Read More...

The crew of the shuttle Atlantis celebrated the July Fourth holiday Monday by flying to Florida aboard sleek T-38 jet trainers to prepare for launch Friday on the 135th and final shuttle mission.
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The six-member crew of the International Space Station was told to seek shelter in two Russian Soyuz spacecraft early Tuesday because of a predicted close approach by an unknown piece of space debris.
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An unmanned Russian Progress cargo ship glided to a smooth automated docking with the the International Space Station Thursday, two days after launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Read More...

With the Atlantis astronauts on hand for a practice countdown Thursday, engineers are making good progress with work to inspect beefed-up ribs in the shuttle's external tank and to replace a leaking main engine fuel valve. Read More...

A Russian Progress cargo ship loaded with three tons of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Tuesday. Docking is expected Thursday. Read More...

Astronaut Mark Kelly, commander of the shuttle Endeavour's final mission and husband of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, gravely wounded in a January assassination attempt, will retire from NASA and the Navy on Oct. 1. Read More...

The shuttle Atlantis' crew flew to the Kennedy Space Center Monday to review emergency procedures and participate in a dress-rehearsal countdown Thursday, a major milestone on the road to launch July 8. Read More...

Engineers readying the shuttle Atlantis for launch July 8 plan to replace a leaking main engine fuel valve in parallel with external tank inspections next week. Read More...

After a delay to assess the impact of overnight thunderstorms, engineers pressed ahead with a fueling test Wednesday to verify the integrity of structural stiffeners in the shuttle Atlantis' external tank. Read More...

NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory satellite has detected super massive black holes in the dusty cores of numerous galaxies that formed within a billion years of the big bang birth of the universe. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket carrying a sophisticated oceanography satellite blasted off Friday on a long-awaited mission to monitor the salinity of Earth's oceans. Read More...

Monitoring a weak thruster, commander Sergei Volkov guided a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to a smooth automated docking with the International Space Station at 5:18 p.m. EDT (GMT-4) Thursday. Read More...

NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft, approaching the edge of the solar system, have detected signs of what may be gigantic magnetic bubbles at the interface between the sun's influence and interstellar space. Read More...

NASA has released dramatic photographs of the shuttle Endeavour docked at the International Space Station that were shot during the departure of the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft May 23. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a veteran cosmonaut, a Japanese physician-astronaut and a NASA shuttle veteran blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Tuesday, bound for the International Space Station. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour glided to a ghostly pre-dawn landing Wednesday to close out its 25th and final mission, clearing the way for NASA's last shuttle launch July 8. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour's crew closed the ship's payload bay doors and geared up for re-entry and landing early Wednesday to close out the orbiter's 25th and final mission. Touchdown is expected at 2:35 a.m. EDT. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts tested the shuttle's re-entry systems overnight Monday and began packing up for landing early Wednesday to close out the orbiter's 25th and final voyage. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station for the 12th and final time late Sunday, backing away for a fly-around photo survey before testing new navigation sensors and software.
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The Endeavour astronauts wrapped up last-minute transfers early Sunday, said farewell to the crew of the International Space Station and moved back aboard the shuttle to prepare the ship for undocking Sunday night. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour's crew helped out with repairs to one of the International Space Station's carbon dioxide scrubbers Saturday as NASA's next-to-last shuttle mission moved into the home stretch of a 16-day mission.
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Astronauts Michael Fincke and Gregory Chamitoff wrapped up a xx-hour xx-minute spacewalk early Friday, completing the U.S. segment of the International Space Station after 12 years of construction. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts plan to carry out a fourth and final spacewalk Friday to mount the shuttle's no-longer-needed heat shield inspection boom on the International Space Station. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts carried out a final inspection of the shuttle's heat shield early Thursday, fielded questions from reporters and geared up for a fourth and final spacewalk Friday. Read More...

Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Michael Fincke carried out a six-hour 54-minute spacewalk Wednesday, installing a robot arm mounting fixture on the space station and installing wiring for the Russian segment. Read More...

NASA will develop a version of the Bush administration's Orion capsule for future deep space missions beyond Earth orbit, the agency announced Tuesday. But it's not yet known when the spacecraft might fly. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts helped out with space station maintenance Tuesday amid preparations for an overnight spacewalk, the third of four planned by the shuttle fliers. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three returning space station crew members landed in Kazakhstan Monday to wrap up a 159-day stay in space. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts took the day off Monday amid preparations for the afternoon departure of three space station crew members aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Read More...

In a brief ceremony Sunday on the eve of undocking, outgoing Expedition 27 commander Dmitry Kondratyev handed over command of the International Space Station to cosmonaut Andrey Borisenko. Read More...

Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Michael Fincke completed an eight-hour seven-minute spacewalk at 10:12 a.m. EDT Sunday, the second of four EVAs planned by the Endeavour astronauts. Read More...

Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Michael Fincke are set for a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk Sunday to top off the ammonia coolant in a space station solar array and to lubricate a solar array drive mechanism. Read More...

Data from a "focused" inspection of a damaged heat shield tile on the belly of the shuttle Endeavour shows the orbiter can safely re-enter as is, without the need for any repairs or additional study, NASA said Saturday. Read More...

Pope Benedict XVI called the combined shuttle-station crews from the Vatican Saturday, asking about the environment and the role of science and technology in solving global problems. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts will use an instrumented boom on the end of the shuttle's robot arm early Saturday to make a close-up, "focused" inspection of a gouge in a heat shield tile on the belly of the orbiter. Read More...

U.S. and Russian space managers have agreed to stage an out-of-this-world photo op Monday when the crew of a departing Soyuz photographs the space station and the shuttle Endeavour in a one-of-a-kind family portrait. Read More...

NASA managers have retargeted launch of the Atlantis on the 135th and final shuttle flight for around 11:40 a.m. EDT on July. Read More...

Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff are carrying out a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to replace space exposure experiments and to set up an ammonia coolant line for use during an EVA Sunday. Read More...

Astronauts Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff are gearing up for a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the first of four planned for the shuttle Endeavour's mission. Read More...

Engineers are continuing to assess two damage sites on the belly of the shuttle Endeavour to determine if an additional, "focused," inspection might be needed Saturday to collect more data. Read More...

The $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer was attached to the International Space Station early Thursday. Scientists say the instrument already is detecting "thousands and thousands" of cosmic ray particles. Read More...

Shuttle commander Mark Kelly told reporters Thursday his wife, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, came through surgery Wednesday in good condition as she continues her recovery from an assassination attempt in January. Read More...

Engineers are assessing several gouges and dings spotted in protective heat shield tiles on the underside of the shuttle Endeavour during final approach to the space station Wednesday. Read More...

Commander Mark Kelly guided the shuttle Endeavour to a "silky smooth" docking with the International Space Station Wednesday and his crewmates successfully mounted a massive spare parts pallet on the lab's power truss. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts carried out a detailed inspection of the shuttle Endeavour's nose cap and wing leading edge panels Tuesday amid work to ready the shuttle Atlantis for launch on NASA's final shuttle flight in July. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour rocketed away on its 25th and final flight Monday, putting on a spectacular, if brief, show for spectators as it knifed through a low deck of clouds and streaked into orbit. Read More...

Commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates have strapped in aboard the shuttle Endeavour to await liftoff at 8:56:28 a.m. EDT. Forecasters are monitoring a deck of low clouds near the spaceport that could cause problems. Read More...

Engineers readied the shuttle Endeavour for fueling overnight Sunday, setting the stage for launch early Monday on a space station assembly mission. Forecasters continue to predict a 70 percent chance of good weather. Read More...

NASA's Mission Management Team met Saturday and cleared the shuttle Endeavour for launch Monday on a delayed mission to deliver a $2 billion particle physics detector to the International Space Station. Read More...

Engineers restarted the shuttle Endeavour's countdown Friday, setting the stage for launch Monday on a space station assembly flight. Forecasters continue to predict a 70 percent chance of good weather. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts flew back to Florida Thursday to prepare for a delayed launch Monday on a space station assembly mission. Forecasters are predicting a 70 percent chance of good weather. Read More...

NASA managers met Monday and decided to press ahead with work to ready the shuttle Endeavour for a second launch try May 16 after extensive troubleshooting to resolve problems with hydraulic system fuel line heaters. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket successfully boosted a $1.3 billion missile early warning satellite into orbit Saturday after a picture-perfect liftoff from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour's launch will be delayed to at least May 16, NASA officials said Friday, pending tests to confirm the health of hydraulic system electrical components that derailed an April 29 attempt. Read More...

Engineers troubleshooting a suspect electrical distribution box removed from the shuttle Endeavour's engine compartment after a launch scrub Friday have found damage that could indicate an external short circuit. Read More...

European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, nearing the end of a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station, is mourning the death of his 78-year-old mother, who passed away Monday near Milan, Italy, after an illness. Read More...

Work to repair the shuttle Endeavour will delay the ship's next launch attempt to at least May 10, engineers said Monday. An official launch date is expected Friday, after repairs are complete. Read More...

Engineers have traced an electrical glitch that grounded the shuttle Endeavour Friday to an avionics box in the ship's engine compartment. Replacing the box will delay launch until at least May 8. Read More...

Engineers troubleshooting an electrical glitch that grounded the shuttle Endeavour Friday have verified that a cockpit fuse panel is working normally. Additional tests to narrow down the source of the problem will determine if a launch attempt Monday is possible. Read More...

Trouble with the shuttle Endeavour's hydraulic power system Friday forced NASA managers to delay launch on a long-awaited space station assembly mission. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour was fueled for launch Friday after weathering overnight storms that delayed countdown preparations. Forecasters are calling for a 70 percent chance of good weather for launch at 3:47:55 p.m. EDT. Read More...

NASA managers kept tabs on stormy weather approaching the Kennedy Space Center Thursday as the shuttle Endeavour is prepared for launch Friday. The forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of good weather. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour's countdown is ticking smoothly toward launch Friday on a space station assembly mission. Commander Mark Kelly's wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, flew to Florida Wednesday to be on hand for launch. Read More...

NASA is readying the shuttle Endeavour for launch Friday on its 25th and final mission, a high-profile voyage to deliver supplies, spare parts and a $2 billion physics experiment to the International Space Station. Read More...

The Endeavour astronauts flew to Florida Tuesday for the start of their countdown to blastoff Friday on a high-profile space station assembly flight. Forecasters are predicting an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour has been cleared for launch April 29 on its 25th and final mission, a four-spacewalk flight to deliver supplies, spare parts and a $2 billion particle physics detector to the International Space Station. Read More...

Four companies won contracts totaling $270 million Monday to continue work on commercial manned spacecraft technology that NASA hopes will result in one or more operational space taxis by around 2015. Read More...

United Space Alliance, the space shuttle prime contractor, plans to eliminate half its remaining workforce after NASA completes its final shuttle mission this summer, company officials announced Friday. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base early Friday carrying a secret National Reconnaissance Office payload. Read More...

NASA's three space shuttles will be displayed by the National Air and Space Museum near Washington, the Kennedy Space Center and the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the agency announced Tuesday. Read More...

The space station's crew joined Russian leaders, space officials and their international counterparts Tuesday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's trail-blazing 1961 flight to become the first human in space. Read More...

A last-minute compromise averted a looming government shutdown late Friday with agreement on a stop-gap spending bill. A vote is expected next Thursday on legislation that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year. Read More...

Bracing for a potential government shutdown, NASA managers are evaluating the shuttle launch schedule and putting plans in place to continue near-normal operation of the International Space Station if a furlough is ordered. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three fresh crew members completed a smooth, automated rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station Wednesday, bringing three fresh crew members to the lab complex. Read More...

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiled details of a new commercial heavy lift rocket Tuesday -- the Falcon Heavy -- that he said will deliver twice the cargo to orbit at one third the cost of competing rockets. Read More...

Flight controllers monitoring a piece of space debris told the International Space Station's crew that radar tracking showed the odds of a collision did not warrant seeking shelter aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. Read More...

A Russian Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Monday carrying two rookie cosmonauts and a NASA shuttle veteran to the International Space Station. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour's launch on a mission to the International Space Station has been delayed 10 days to April 29 to avoid a conflict with the arrival of an unmanned Russian Progress supply ship. Read More...

Two weeks after slipping into orbit around Mercury, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is beaming back a steady stream of intriguing pictures. A year-long campaign to map the planet is scheduled to begin Monday. Read More...

Kelly says his injured wife continues to make progress and that there's a 'pretty good chance' she will be able to attend his launch aboard the shuttle Endeavour next month. Read More...

Shuttle commander Mark Kelly abruptly pulled himself from planned pre-flight media interviews, citing a reluctance to field personal questions about his wife, Gabrielle Giffords. Read More...

After a six-and-a-half-year journey, NASA's compact MESSENGER probe braked into a looping orbit around hellish Mercury Thursday, becoming the first spacecraft to take up long-term residence around the innermost planet.
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Outgoing space station commander Scott Kelly, Soyuz TMA-01M commander Alexander Kaleri and flight engineer Oleg Skripochka undocked and returned to Earth early Wednesday, closing out a 159-day mission. Read More...

A United Space Alliance worker was killed early Monday after a fall at launch complex 39A where the shuttle Endeavour is being readied for flight April 19. All work at the pad was suspended for the day. Read More...

The shuttle Endeavour was mounted atop launch pad 39A Friday, setting the stage for launch April 19 on a four-spacewalk mission to resupply the International Space Station and deliver a $2 billion physics experiment.
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The shuttle Discovery glided to a smooth touchdown Wednesday to wrap up the orbiter's 39th and final mission, a milestone marking the beginning of the end for NASA's winged rocketships. Read More...

With windy but acceptable weather expected, the shuttle Discovery's crew is preparing the ship for its 39th and final re-entry, setting up for a Kennedy Space Center landing to close out a successful space station assembly mission. Read More...

With a favorable forecast and no technical problems, NASA is gearing up to bring the shuttle Discovery back to Earth Wednesday to close out the veteran spaceplane's 39th and final flight. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's crew, packing up for the ship's final re-entry and landing Wednesday, said Americans should be proud of the shuttle program, but expressed concern about the lack of a near-term replacement. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's crew enjoyed a live wakeup call from Big Head Todd and the Monsters in mission control Tuesday before testing the ship's re-entry systems and packing up for landing Wednesday. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's crew, after a "Star Trek" wakeup call from William Shatner, undocked from the International Space Station early Monday, wrapping up an extended assembly and resupply mission. Read More...

The Discovery astronauts completed final equipment transfers to and from the International Space Station Sunday and returned to the shuttle to rig the ship for departure early Monday to wrap up a busy resupply mission. Read More...

The Discovery astronauts and their space station counterparts, nearly finished unloading a newly attached storage module, carried out needed maintenance on the station's life support systems Saturday. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off and boosted an unmanned Air Force spaceplane toward orbit Saturday to kick off a classified military mission. It was the second flight of an X-37B spacecraft. Read More...

The Discovery astronauts are putting in another day of work to unload the newly attached Permanent Multipurpose Module while mission planners revise the crew's timeline to reflect a second additional day docked to the lab complex. Read More...

NASA's Glory environmental research satellite crashed into the southern Pacific Ocean Friday in a $424 million launch failure, the second in a row for the Orbital Sciences Taurus XL booster. Read More...

President Barack Obama congratulated the shuttle Discovery's crew Thursday, praising the orbiter for a "critical and iconic" final flight to the International Space Station. NASA, meanwhile, extended the shuttle's flight a second day. Read More...

Astronauts Alvin Drew and Stephen Bowen carried out a six-hour 14-minute spacewalk Wednesday to perform a variety of maintenance chores outside the International Space Station (realtime coverage). Read More...

Astronauts Alvin Drew and Stephen Bowen plan to carry out a variety of maintenance chores outside the International Space Station during a planned 6.5-hour spacewalk. Read More...

Russian mission managers rejected a NASA proposal for a Soyuz fly-around of the International Space Station to capture unprecedented views of the lab complex with the shuttle Discovery and a variety of other vehicles attached. Read More...

The Discovery astronauts attached a final U.S. module to the International Space Station Tusday, providing lab crews with needed storage space. Read More...

NASA managers Monday decided to extend the shuttle Discovery's space station resupply mission by one day to give the combined crews more time to outfit a new U.S. module and, possibly, to stage an out-of-this-world photo op. Read More...

Astronauts Alvin Drew and Stephen Bowen completed a "textbook" six-hour 34-minute spacewalk Monday, installing a backup power cable, stowing a failed coolant pump and carrying out a variety of maintenance tasks. Read More...

Shuttle Endeavour was hauled from its processing hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building Monday for attachment to an external tank and solid-fuel boosters. The shuttle's 25th and final launch is targeted for April 19. Read More...

Astronauts Alvin Drew and Stephen Bowen plan to install a backup electrical cable between two space station modules, store a failed ammonia pump module and perform general maintenance during a planned 6.5-hour spacewalk. Read More...

Discovery's crew worked through a busy day of robotics and equipment transfers Sunday and geared up for a spacewalk Monday. NASA's Mission Management Team, meanwhile, says the ship's heat shield appears to be in good shape. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery glided to a picture-perfect docking with the International Space Station Saturday, the orbiter's 13th and final linkup with the orbital outpost. Read More...

Foam debris that fell from the shuttle Discovery's external tank during launch Thursday was the result of an understood phenomenon and happened well after the timeframe when debris impacts pose a threat to the shuttle's heat shield, a senior NASA manager said Thursday. Read More...

The Discovery astronauts are working through a routine but busy day in space, highlighted by inspections of the shuttle's nose cap and wing leading edge panels, along with preparations for docking with the space station Saturday (Updated at 12:40 p.m. EST). Read More...

The shuttle Discovery blasted off on its 39th and final mission Thursday, taking off with seconds to spare after a last-minute Air Force computer glitch threatened to derail the launch. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's crew began strapping in shortly after 1:30 p.m. EST to await launch on the ship's 39th and final mission. There are no technical problems of any significance and forecasters expect good weather for launch at 4:50:27 p.m. Read More...

The European Space Agency's second Automated Transfer Vehicle, loaded with more than seven tons of supplies and equipment, successfully docked with the International Space Station Thursday after an automated approach. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery is on track for blastoff Thursday on its 39th and final mission, a space station resupply flight that features two spacewalks and a final U.S. station module. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's countdown is proceeding smoothly toward launch Thursday on a space station resupply mission. There are no technical problems of any significance and good weather is expected. Read More...

Running three-and-a-half months late, the repaired shuttle Discovery is poised for launch on its 39th and final mission to deliver supplies, spare parts and a final U.S. module to the International Space Station. Read More...

Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center restarted the shuttle Discovery's countdown Monday, setting the stage for launch Thursday on a long-delayed space station assembly flight. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's five-man one-woman crew flew to the Kennedy Space Center Sunday to prepare for blastoff Thursday on a space station resupply mission. Read More...

Senior NASA managers attending a flight readiness review Friday at the Kennedy Space Center unanimously cleared the shuttle Discovery for launch Feb. 24 on a long-delayed space station resupply mission. Read More...

A powerful Ariane 5 rocket successfully boosted a European Space Agency cargo ship into orbit Wednesday on a flight to deliver more than seven tons of supplies to the International Space Station. Read More...

Realtime coverage of Russian EVA-28 (space station maintenance; experiment installation/retrieval) Read More...

Launch of a European Space Agency cargo ship bound for the International Space Station was delayed at least 24 hours Tuesday by a last-minute technical snag. The delay could impact the shuttle Discovery's Feb. 24 launch target.
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NASA's Stardust-NExT spacecraft raced past comet Tempel 1 Monday in a Valentine's Day flyby to map out changes in the icy body since another spacecraft encountered the comet in 2005. Read More...

Images from NASA's Stardust-NExT spacecraft, shot as the probe streaked past comet Tempel 1 late Monday, are being posted on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's website. Read More...

Faced with reduced funding and an uncertain outlook, NASA's $18.7 billion fiscal 2012 budget prioritizes the Obama administration's major goals and objectives but leaves unclear when post-shuttle manned spacecraft might fly. Read More...

Program managers met Friday to review the shuttle Discovery's readiness for launch Feb. 24. Russian managers have been asked to consider a Soyuz fly-around to photograph the station with the shuttle and other spacecraft attached. Read More...

Astronaut Mark Kelly will resume training to command the shuttle Endeavour for its final flight in April, rejoining his crewmates one month after a Tucson shooting spree that left his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, critically injured. Read More...

NASA's Kepler space telescope has found more than 1,200 possible planets orbiting distant suns, including 68 roughly Earth-sized worlds, in the initial stages of a three-year project to find out how common Earth-like worlds might be. Read More...

With repairs to its external tank complete, engineers the shuttle Discovery was hauled back to launch pad 39A overnight Monday for work to prepare the ship for a delayed blastoff on a space station resupply mission (UPDATED). Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship loaded with 6,000 pounds of equipment and supplies docked with the International Space Station Saturday, two days after launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Read More...

A Japanese cargo ship carrying 8,500 pounds of cargo and supplies was plucked out of open space by the International Space Station's robot arm Thursday to complete smooth automated rendezvous. Read More...

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have found what appears to be a small proto-galaxy 13.2 billion light years away, making it the most distant -- and oldest -- object ever detected. Read More...

An unmanned cargo craft carrying nearly 8.500 pounds of critical equipment and supplies blasted off from southern Japan Saturday, rocketing smoothly into orbit and setting off after the International Space Station. Read More...

Realtime coverage of Russian EVA-27 (space station maintenance) Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy, the most powerful rocket ever launched from the West Coast, blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Thursday on a classified mission to boost a spy satellite in orbit. Read More...

Astronaut Stephen Bowen, a veteran spacewalker who flew on the most recent shuttle mission last May, will replace Timothy Kopra aboard the shuttle Discovery for its upcoming flight. Kopra was injured in a bicycle mishap last Saturday. Read More...

Astronaut Timothy Kopra, scheduled for launch aboard the shuttle Discovery Feb. 24, was injured Saturday in a bicycle accident, officials said. Details were not released, but officials said "there could be an impact to his mission duties." Read More...

In a report to Congress this week, NASA said the agency's current budget does not include enough money to develop a new congressionally-mandated heavy-lift rocket and deep space exploration capsule by 2016. Read More...

Veteran shuttle commander Frederick Sturckow will replace Mark Kelly in near-term training for an April shuttle flight, allowing Kelly to remain with wife Gabrielle Giffords as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head. Read More...

The Russian space agency and the Rocket Space Corporation Energia have agreed to build additional Soyuz spacecraft to carry paying customers to the International Space Station starting in 2013 in a deal arranged by Space Adventures.
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Engineers believe they have zeroed in on the root cause of cracks in the shuttle Discovery's external tank. A relatively simple modification should resolve the problem once and for all, officials say, setting the stage for another launch attempt Feb. 24.
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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called the International Space Station Tuesday and expressed his sympathy to commander Scott Kelly over the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, wife of Kelly's twin brother Mark. Read More...

NASA managers decide to install radius block stiffeners on all the structural ribs, or stringers, making up the intertank section of the shuttle Discovery's external tank to make them less susceptible to cracks during fueling and launch. Read More...

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, wife of shuttle commander Mark Kelly, was shot in the head during a public meeting in Tucson Saturday. A doctor at the University of Arizona trauma center said Giffords was expected to survive. Read More...

NASA managers Thursday ruled out an attempt to launch the shuttle Discovery in early February, giving engineers more time to assess repairs and failure scenarios in the wake of external tank cracks discovered after a Nov. 5 launch attempt. Read More...

NASA managers order repairs for recently discovered cracks in shuttle Discovery's external tank and consider additional modifications to beef up all remaining structural ribs, or stringers, in the intertank section of the tank. Read More...

Engineers have found four more small cracks in the shuttle Discovery's external tank. NASA managers are considering installation of additional doublers to beef up ribs, or stringers, that experience the most stress during launch. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery was hauled off the pad and back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional inspections and possible external tank modifications. Launch remains on hold until at least Feb. 3. Read More...

The Russian Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft, carrying Dmitry Kondratyev, Italian flight engineer Paolo Nespoli and NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman, docked with the International Space Station Friday, boosting the lab's full-time crew back to six (UPDATED at 6:55 p.m. EST with hatch opening). Read More...

Realtime coverage of a planned seven-and-a-half-hour fueling test to verify the structural integrity and safety margins of the shuttle Discovery's external tank (UPDATED at 3 p.m. EST; fueling test complete; no obvious problems). Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's external tank will be loaded with liquid oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel Friday to collect data needed to assess the tank's structural integrity in the wake of cracked ribs, or stringers, found after a Nov. 5 launch attempt.
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A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday (U.S. time) carrying three crew members bound for the International Space Station. Docking is expected Friday. Read More...

NASA is gearing up for an instrumented fueling test Friday, weather permitting, to collect critical data about the structural integrity of the shuttle Discovery's external tank. After the test, the shuttle will be hauled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional inspections before another launch try as early as Feb. 3. Read More...

The maiden orbital flight of the SpaceX Dragon cargo carrier met virtually all of the company's objectives, demonstrating an ability to maneuver to the International Space Station and making a pinpoint splashdown in a first for a commercial rocket program (REPOSTING original story to correct duplicate filing/time stamp problem). Read More...

After cutting away two cracks in a second stage engine nozzle extension, SpaceX engineers late Tuesday pressed ahead with work to ready a Falcon 9 rocket for launch Wednesday on a long-awaited NASA-sponsored demonstration flight. Read More...

After two last-second aborts, SpaceX test fired the first-stage engines of the company's Falcon 9 cargo rocket Saturday, setting the stage for launch next week on a NASA-sponsored demonstration flight. Read More...

Launch of shuttle Discovery on a space station resupply mission will be delayed until at least Feb. 3, NASA announced Friday, to give engineers more time to conduct tests to determine the root cause of cracks in the ship's external tank. Read More...

The root cause of unexpected cracks in the shuttle Discovery's external tank is still not understood, engineers said Thursday, a critical stumbling block for developing the necessary 'flight rationale' for another launch attempt this month. Read More...

Researchers discover bacteria that can substitute toxic arsenic for phosphorous in critical biomolecules. The finding suggests the definition of 'life as we know it' may need expanding to cover a broader range of possible organisms and habitats. Read More...

Realtime coverage of the Soyuz TMA-19 entry and landing in Kazakhstan (UPATED at 11:50 PM EST with landing). Read More...

NASA managers reviewing repairs to the shuttle Discovery's external tank and the rationale for making another launch attempt decided Wednesday to delay the flight to at least Dec. 17 and possibly longer (UPDATED at 5 PM EST with news conference). Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Sunday to boost a National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite into orbit. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload was grounded Friday because of temperature anomalies detected during fueling (UPDATED with new launch date; problem resolution). Read More...

Launch of the shuttle Discovery on a space station resupply mission is on hold until at least Dec. 3 to give engineers more time to assess external tank crack repairs and to develop the necessary flight rationale, NASA announced Thursday (UPDATED at 9 p.m. with management comments on 'schedule pressure'). Read More...

Engineers are pressing ahead with work to repair the shuttle Discovery's external tank amid an ongoing analysis to develop "flight rationale," or technical justification, for proceeding with another launch attempt. A decision is expected Monday. Read More...

Realtime coverage of Russian EVA-26 (space station maintenance). Read More...

Engineers have found a fourth crack in the structural ribs, or stringers, making up the central intertank compartment between the liquid oxygen and hydrogen sections of the shuttle Discovery's external tank. Repair plans are under review (UPDATED with vent line status). Read More...

Engineers have discovered another crack on an adjacent stringer in the shuttle Discovery's external tank, officials say (UPDATED at 8:40 PM with NASA statement, additional details). Read More...

Engineers disassembled a leaking hydrogen vent line attachment fitting on the side of Discovery's external tank overnight, revealing an unevenly compressed internal seal (UPDATED at 12:25 PM with NASA statement, new photos). Read More...

An independent review panel has found that miscues by NASA management threaten to add $1.5 billion to the cost of the agency's next generation space telescope, a projected overrun that is prompting a shakeup at agency headquarters. Read More...

Engineers removed foam insulation from the area of a crack on the side of the shuttle Discovery's external tank and found a corresponding crack in an underlying structural stringer. Troubleshooters are hopeful the damage can be fixed at the pad. Read More...

Engineers started work Tuesday to disassemble a leaking hydrogen vent line fitting on the side of the shuttle Discovery's external tank amid troubleshooting to figure out what caused a long crack in the foam insulation of the ship's external tank (UPDATED at 9:25 PM EDT with foam dissecton). Read More...

Engineers geared up Monday to begin inspections and disassembly of a leaking 7-inch hydrogen vent line attached to the shuttle Discovery's external tank amid work to assess what might be needed to fix cracks in the tank's insulation. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery, grounded by a gaseous hydrogen leak and a crack in fuel tank insulation, will not be ready for another launch try before Nov. 30. And that assumes engineers can carry out repairs at the launch pad. Read More...

Launch of the shuttle Discovery on a space station resupply mission, the orbiter's 39th and final flight, has been delayed until at least Nov. 30 because of a hydrogen leak in a vent line. Engineers also are assessing apparent cracks in the insulation of the external tank. Read More...

NASA's recycled Deep Impact spacecraft flew past the nucleus of Comet Hartley 2 Thursday, beaming back spectacular pictures of its frozen, peanut-shaped nucleus and multiple jets of icy debris (UPDATED with news briefing) Read More...

NASA's Mission Management Team decided to delay launch of the shuttle Discovery another 24 hours, to Friday at 3:04:01 p.m., because of low clouds and rain over the Kennedy Space Center Thursday (Updated with flight plan milestones). Read More...

NASA's mission management team cleared the shuttle Discovery for launch Thursday, weather permitting, after concluding an electrical glitch Tuesday posed no credible safety threat. Liftoff is targeted for 3:29:43 p.m. EDT. Read More...

Engineers troubleshoot apparent glitch in shuttle engine controller circuitry; launch delayed at least 24 hours (UPDATED at 8 PM EDT with news conference). Read More...

NASA marks the 10th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station, a milestone that was achieved early Tuesday after 57,361 orbits and 1.5 billion miles in low-Earth orbit. Read More...

The shuttle DIscovery's final voyage is a critical mission for the International Space Station as NASA retires the shuttle fleet and transitions to a new model for resupplying the lab and supporting a full-time crew of six (mission preview). Read More...

NASA's Mission Management Team met Monday and unanimously agreed to press ahead with plans to launch the shuttle Discovery Wednesday, weather permitting, on a space station assembly flight. Read More...

Engineers completed repairs and retest of suspect fittings in one of the shuttle Discovery's aft rocket pods Sunday, clearing the way for the start of the ship's countdown to launch Wednesday (UPDATED at 2:15 PM EDT with start of countdown). Read More...

Cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri took over manual control to guide an unmanned Progress supply ship to a smooth docking with the International Space Station Saturday after an automated approach was called off. Read More...

Engineers have replaced suspect fittings in the shuttle Discovery's right-side orbital maneuvering system rocket pod, but testing and other work have delayed launch another day to Wednesday (UPDATED at 11:10 a.m. EDT with news briefing). Read More...

NASA managers are optimistic leaky quick-disconnect fittings in the shuttle Discovery's right-side maneuvering system rocket pod can be repaired in time for a day-late launching Tuesday. Read More...

Engineers are troubleshooting two leaks at fittings in the helium and nitrogen systems used by the shuttle Discovery's right-side orbital maneuvering system rocket pod (UPDATED at 9:20 a.m. EDT with countdown/launch delay). Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's crew flew to the Kennedy Space Center Thursday to prepare for launch Monday on a mission to resupply the International Space Station. Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday and set off after the International Space Station. Docking is expected Saturday. Read More...

The International Space Station's orbit was adjusted slightly early Tuesday to preclude a close encounter with an out-of-commission NASA satellite. Read More...

After reviewing weekend work to fix a small fuel leak, NASA managers attending a flight readiness review Monday cleared the shuttle Discovery for launch Nov. 1 on a space station resupply mission (UPDATED at 5:00 PM EDT with news conference; quotes and details). Read More...

Engineers replaced two seals in a suspect fuel-line flange aboard the shuttle Discovery Saturday in a bid to resolve an on-again, off-gain leak and keep the ship on track for launch Nov. 1 on a space station resupply mission. Read More...

Engineers drain propellant from the shuttle Discovery's maneuvering rocket system before beginning weekend work to replace seals in a suspect flange (UPDATED at 7:30 AM 10/22/10 with fuel offload). Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's crew strapped in for a dress-rehearsal countdown Friday that sets the stage for launch Nov. 1 on a space station assembly mission. It will be Discovery's 39th and final flight. Read More...

President Obama signed NASA's budget authorization Monday, setting the stage for debate on funding details during a 'tough' appropriations process. Read More...

In a long-awaited milestone, Virgin Galactic's commercial sub-orbital rocketplane, the VSS Enterprise, completed its first piloted glide-to-landing test flight Sunday in California (Updated at 6:30 PM EDT with Branson interview). Read More...

A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a veteran shuttle commander docked with the International Space Station Saturday evening after a two-day orbital chase, boosting the lab's crew back to six. Read More...

Realtime coverage of the Soyuz TMA-01M launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (Updated at 7:35 p.m. EDT with Soyuz launch). Read More...

The Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft was moved to the launch pad for for liftoff Thursday evening (U.S. time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (posting countdown and launch-to-docking timeline). Read More...

Former shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale says the proposed NASA budget approved by Congress Wednesday falls short and will not pay for the programs the agency is being asked to deliver. Read More...

The European Space Agency has rescheduled the launch of an unmanned space station cargo ship for Feb. 15, setting up a docking Feb. 26. NASA, in turn, has delayed launch of the shuttle Endeavour by one day to Feb. 27. Read More...

The House of Representatives voted late Wednesday to approve the Senate version of NASA's fiscal 2011 budget proposal, which would kick start development of new heavy lift rockets, fund an additional shuttle flight and support new commercial launchers. Read More...

The external tank that will be used by the shuttle Endeavour in February -- the last tank that will be delivered to the Kennedy Space Center -- was off loaded from its transport barge Tuesday and moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building. Read More...

Realtime coverage of Soyuz TMA-18 entry and landing in Kazakhstan (updated 09/27 with on-site landing pictures) Read More...

Expedition 24 commander Alexander Skvortsov handed over control of the International Space Station to Douglas Wheelock Wednesday in a ceremony that sets the stage for the return to Earth of Skvortsov and two crewmates early Friday.
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The shuttle Discovery was hauled to the launch pad overnight Monday for work to ready the ship for blastoff Nov. 1 on a space station resupply flight, its 39th and final mission. Read More...

Space Adventures Ltd. will work with Boeing to launch wealthy tourists and other non-NASA fliers aboard a capsule under development by the U.S. aerospace giant. Read More...

NASA names four astronauts to train for a possible rescue mission aboard the shuttle Atlantis to back up the crew of a February mission. If funding is approved, NASA hopes to launch Atlantis on an actual space station resupply fight. Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship carrying two-and-a-half tons of supplies and equipment docked with the International Space Station early Sunday after a smooth automated rendezvous. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's attachment to its external fuel tank was temporarily put on hold Friday pending troubleshooting to resolve problems with a mis-aligned nut. Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship carrying more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and equipment was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Friday. Docking with the International Space Station is expected early Sunday. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery was hauled to the Vehicle Assembly Building Thursday for attachment to an external tank and boosters. If all goes well, the orbiter will be hauled to launch pad 39A Sept. 20 for blastoff Nov. 1 on its final mission.
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NASA shuttle managers are keeping options open while awaiting a decision, possibly as late as the end of the year or early January, on whether to mount an additional shuttle flight next June. Read More...

Assessing follow-up work needed in the wake of a coolant pump replacement aboard the International Space Station, NASA managers decided this week to defer additional spacewalk tasks to the crew of a November shuttle flight. Read More...

ATK Aerospace Systems successfully test fires a five-segment solid-fuel booster near Promontory, Utah, as part of the Constellation moon program the Obama administration wants to cancel. Read More...

A $2 billion physics experiment bound for the International Space Station was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center Thursday after a busy summer of work to replace the magnet at the heart of the powerful particle detector. Read More...

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has found its first confirmed multi-planet solar system, including two Saturn-class worlds and a possible low-mass planet just slightly larger than Earth. The announcement follows a European discovery, using a different technique, of a solar system with up to seven planets. Read More...

Astronomers discover a solar system 127 light years away with up to seven planets, including one world just a bit larger than Earth. If confirmed, this would be the least massive extra-solar planet yet found. Read More...

NASA's $2.4 billion Mars Science Laboratory rover -- Curiosity -- is the most sophisticated unmanned lander ever built, a robot scientists hope will revolutionize humanity's understanding of the red planet (CNET repost). Read More...

In a high-speed computer-orchestrated descent jokingly referred to as "six minutes of terror," NASA's newest Mars rover will rely on a rocket-powered "sky crane" to lower the car-size robot to the surface (CNET repost). Read More...

Loaded with sophisticated instruments and a nuclear power pack immune to sunlight-dimming dust, NASA's Curiosity rover will search for carbon compounds and geologic clues about the habitability of the red planet (CNET repost). Read More...

If NASA wins political approval for one additional space shuttle mission, the agency is protectively considering a June 28, 2011, target launch date. Read More...

The International Space Station's coolant system is back up and running normally after a three-spacewalk repair job. The lab's U.S. astronauts discussed the repair work in an interview with CBS News. Read More...

A new study shows that astronauts on long-duration spaceflights experience significant muscle wasting and a surprising loss of force, suggesting new exercise techniques are needed to keep crews fit. Read More...

Astronauts Douglas Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson wrap up a seven-hour 20-minute spacewalk to install a replacement coolant pump aboard the International Space Station. Read More...

Realtime coverage of U.S. EVA-17 (loop A ammonia pump R & R part 3) Read More...

Astronauts Douglas Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson prepare for a third spacewalk Monday to install a replacement ammonia pump in a bid to complete coolant system repairs. Read More...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket boosted the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency military comsat into orbit Saturday. Read More...

NASA delays third coolant repair spacewalk to Monday; officials say fourth spacewalk likely to tie up loose ends and move faulty ammonia pump to more secure stowage location. Read More...

Realtime coverage of U.S. EVA-16 (loop A ammonia pump R & R part 2) Read More...

NASA managers have approved plans for a second spacewalk Wednesday to isolate a leaking ammonia line, allowing astronauts to remove a faulty pump module crippling the lab's coolant system. A third spacewalk will be needed Sunday to complete the repair. Read More...

NASA planners are revising plans for a second ISS coolant system repair spacewalk Wednesday to deal with an unexpected ammonia leak. A third spacewalk is expected Sunday, pending management approval, to finish the job. Read More...

An unexpected ammonia leak and a jammed quick-disconnect fitting derailed plans to swap out a faulty pump module aboard the International Space Station during a spacewalk Saturday. Read More...

Realtime coverage of U.S. EVA-15 (loop A ammonia pump R & R part 1) Read More...

Astronauts Douglas Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson make final preparations for a spacewalk Saturday to replace a coolant pump on the International Space Station. Read More...

Engineers are looking into how a metal washer made it into an external tank liquid oxygen feedline. Read More...

NASA managers decided Thursday to delay two upcoming space station coolant system repair spacewalks to improve planning and procedures. The EVAs now are targeted for Saturday and Wednesday. Read More...

Here is a preliminary timeline for a planned spacewalk Friday to replace a failed ammonia pump module in the International Space Station's cooling system. Read More...

NASA astronauts and engineers are refining plans for two spacewalks to replace a large ammonia pump module that shut down Saturday, knocking out one of the lab's two cooling loops. Read More...

Space station astronauts, flight controllers troubleshoot cooling system problem. Read More...

NASA warns “a miracle” may be needed to restore the Spirit Mars rover to even limited operation. Read More...

After multiple radar tracking passes, space station flight controllers concluded a piece of debris from a deliberately destroyed Chinese satellite would not pass close enough to require any crew action. Read More...

Realtime coverage of Russian EVA-25 Read More...

Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Fyodor Yurchikhin are gearing up for a planned six-hour spacewalk overnight Monday. Read More...

A House committee, reviewing its version of NASA's $19 billion 2011 funding package, approved an amendment calling for an additional shuttle flight next summer to deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
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The external tank for the final planned shuttle mission was rolled out of Lockheed Martin's Michoud Assembly Facility Thursday to begin the 900-mile voyage to the Kennedy Space Center. Read More...

Shuttle prime contractor United Space Alliance plans to lay off about 15 percent of its 8,100-strong space shuttle workforce Oct. 1, company officials announced Tuesday.
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An unmanned Russian supply ship successfully docked with the International Space Station Sunday, two days after an interference issue with a television transmitter in a backup docking system triggered an unexpected abort Friday. Read More...

Russian engineers believe electrical interference caused an approaching unmanned Progress supply ship to abort its approach to the International Space Station Friday Read More...

The automated approach of an unmanned Russian Progress supply ship to the International Space Station was aborted today when telemetry between the spacecraft and the Russian command module was lost. (UPDATED) Read More...

NASA managers Thursday formally retargeted the program's final two missions for launches Nov. 1 and Feb. 26. Read More...

An unmanned Russian Progress supply ship was successfully launched Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Read More...

Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, flight engineer Shannon Walker and Douglas Wheelock strapped into the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft that carried them into orbit earlier this month, undocked from the Zvezda command module's aft port and redocked at the new Russian Rassvet module.
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NASA managers Tuesday asked shuttle engineers to assess retargeting the final two space shuttle missions, moving launch of a mid-September flight with Discovery to Oct. 29 and a late November flight by Endeavour to Feb. 28. The changes would give engineers more time to optimize payloads bound for the International Space Station and avoid launch conflicts with other flights to the lab complex. Read More...

Completing a two-day orbital rendezvous, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a veteran cosmonaut and two NASA astronauts docked with the International Space Station's aft port Thursday, boosting the lab's crew back to six.
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Lighting up the pre-dawn Kazakhstan sky, a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a veteran Russian cosmonaut and two NASA astronauts roared to life and vaulted into orbit Tuesday, kicking off a two-day flight to the International Space Station.
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Powered by 10 engines and the vision of an internet entrepreneur, an untried Falcon 9 rocket blasted off Friday and successfully boosted a dummy payload into orbit on a maiden voyage intended to help pave the way for commercial missions to the International Space Station.
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Running two-and-a-half hours late because of technical problems and a sailboat in the launch danger zone, SpaceX attempted to launch its new Falcon 9 rocket on its maiden flight Friday, but the countdown was interrupted with less than five seconds to go by an unspecified problem.
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Downplaying expectations, the founder of SpaceX, one of the companies NASA is counting on to help resupply the International Space Station after the shuttle's retirement, said Thursday he believes the maiden flight of the new Falcon 9 rocket Friday has a 70 percent to 80 percent chance of succeeding.
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The Soyuz TMA-17 crew capsule, carrying outgoing space station commander Oleg Kotov, Timothy Creamer and Soichi Noguchi, settled to a safe parachute-and-rocket-assisted landing in Kazakhstan Tuesday after a descent from the International Space Station.
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The Russian Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft, carrying outgoing Expedition 23 commander Oleg Kotov, Timothy Creamer and Soichi Noguchi, undocked from the International Space Station Tuesday evening, setting the stage for landing in Kazakhstan to close out a five-and-a-half-month mission.
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Outgoing space station commander Oleg Kotov, NASA flight engineer Timothy Creamer and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi floated into their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft Tuesday afternoon, closed the hatch and readied the ship for for undocking and landing in Kazakhstan to close out a 163-day stay in space.
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The shuttle Atlantis closed out its 32nd and final planned mission with a smooth Florida landing Wednesday, wrapping up a quarter century of service with a successful space station assembly mission.
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After resolving an issue with the shuttle's re-entry cooling system, the Atlantis astronauts closed the ship's payload bay doors just before 5:30 a.m. EDT. The crew is setting up for a deorbit rocket firing around 7:42 a.m. and a landing at the Kennedy Space Center at 8:48 a.m.
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Keeping tabs on the weather, the Atlantis astronauts are preparing for re-entry and landing today at the Kennedy Space Center to close out the shuttle's 32nd and final flight.
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Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, told lawmakers Wednesday the Obama administration's plan to shift near-term manned spaceflight from NASA to private industry could result in a 10-year gap between the end of the shuttle program and the debut of reliable commercial rockets. Read More...