astronauts

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Astronauts Install Last Pair of Solar Panels

(Newser) - The International Space Station is about to get full power for the first time. Two astronauts today installed the last pair of solar panels for the station in a six-hour spacewalk, reports Space.com. The station, which now has a total of eight solar panels, will unfurl the newly installed...

Shuttle Docks at Space Station
 Shuttle Docks at Space Station 

Shuttle Docks at Space Station

(Newser) - Space shuttle Discovery has arrived at the International Space Station. The shuttle docked with the orbiting outpost late this afternoon, carrying the station's final set of solar wings. Before arriving, Discovery did a 360-degree backflip so station astronauts could photograph its belly. NASA will examine the photos as a precaution...

NASA: Debris Will Miss Space Station
 NASA: Debris Will 
 Miss Space Station 
UPDATED

NASA: Debris Will Miss Space Station

(Newser) - NASA gave the all-clear to the international space station tonight, telling its astronauts they would not need to steer away from an orbiting piece of satellite junk. Experts had been keeping close tabs on the debris all day, at one point believing it might pass within a half-mile of the...

Discovery Blasts Off With Crew of 7

(Newser) - Space shuttle Discovery is rocketing toward the international space station after more than a month of delays, the AP reports. The space shuttle and its crew of seven blasted off today just as the sun was setting. The shuttle is carrying a final set of solar wings for the space...

Hail of Debris Forces Space Station Evacuation

(Newser) - Fearing a strike by orbiting space junk, the three astronauts on the International Space Station evacuated to an attached capsule this morning, the Houston Chronicle reports. Though the chance of impact was slight, the debris—a 4-inch piece of an old rocket—could have caused major damage to the station....

Columbia Crew Had No Chance to Survive

Report says astronauts couldn't have survived shuttle's disintegration

(Newser) - The seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia lost consciousness quickly and did not suffer when the craft broke up during its descent to Earth in 2003, a  NASA report says. While the crew had zero chance of survival, the report found fault with the astronauts' safety equipment and recommended...

Missing Tool Bag Spotted in Space

Watchers with telescopes in NJ, Ontario spot gear lost during spacewalk

(Newser) - Look, in the sky: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's … the tool bag that floated away during a spacewalk last week. A few backyard astronomers have spotted the shiny bag that drifted away from an astronaut outside the International Space Station. The $100,000 toolkit will be visible...

Astronauts Wipe Off Grime on Final Walk

(Newser) - Astronauts lubed a joint and wiped a solar panel clean today on the last spacewalk of the Endeavour mission, Space.com reports. The final repairs on the International Space Station took just over 6 hours but were cut short for astronaut Shane Kimbrough when carbon dioxide levels rose in his...

British College Launches Astronaut Course

(Newser) - A British university is making a political stand as it teaches students how to survive in outer space, the Guardian reports. The University of Leicester has hired NASA shuttle veteran Jeff Hoffman to lead a new course on how to become an astronaut, despite the UK government's ban on manned...

Astronauts Wrap Up Second Spacewalk (No Lost Tools)

(Newser) - Spacewalking astronauts performed more repair work on a jammed joint at the International Space Station today, keeping a tight grip on all their tools so nothing would get away this time. The spacewalk—the second of four planned for shuttle Endeavour's visit— went smoothly and fell on the 10th anniversary...

Endeavour Anchors at Space Station
Endeavour Anchors
at Space Station

Endeavour Anchors at Space Station

Astronauts ready to enter International Space Station

(Newser) - Space shuttle Endeavour docked at the International Space Station today, Florida Today reports. Commander Christopher Ferguson flipped the shuttle 360 degrees before docking, allowing space station residents to photograph possible damage sustained during liftoff. The radar worked well despite worries about the shuttle's antenna, the AP reports.

Endeavour Heads to Space Station

(Newser) - The space shuttle Endeavour lifted off last night on a journey to the International Space Station, where astronauts will install new equipment and fix a solar panel, Space.com reports. The crew of the ISS will double from three to six next year; ahead of that, the Endeavour crew is...

Space: The Final Voting Frontier

Two astronauts vote from space station

(Newser) - Two US astronauts on the International Space Station did their civic duty from afar yesterday, casting absentee ballots from space using laptops with secure connections. Commander E. Michael Fincke and flight engineer Greg Chamitoff  are the only voters who could actually see all those red and blue states, reports Bloomberg....

Space Junk to Hit Earth Tomorrow

Ammonia tank chucked from ISS expected to break up in atmosphere

(Newser) - NASA is tracking a fridge-sized chunk of space trash expected to plunge to Earth tomorrow night, Space.com reports. The ammonia tank was thrown overboard from the International Space Station over a year ago and has been slowly descending since. NASA says it's highly unlikely that anybody will impacted by...

Diary That Survived Shuttle Blast Goes on Display

Pages written by Israel's first astronaut survived 37-mile fall from space

(Newser) - Pages from the diary of an Israeli astronaut who perished with the space shuttle Columbia  go on display tomorrow at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the AP reports. Ilan Ramon's diary was found in a field 2 months after the crash. It had fallen 37 miles to earth when the...

Iran Aims to Put a Man in Space
 Iran Aims to Put a Man in Space 

Iran Aims to Put a Man in Space

State also hopes to aid other Muslim countries via satellite program

(Newser) - Iran plans to send a manned mission into orbit within the next 10 years, the CBC reports. The news comes on the heels of a recent, and disputed, rocket launch the Iranians claim put a satellite, its first, into space. The country says its space presence would monitor weather and...

'It's In, Thank God': Astronauts Finish Risky Chore

Pair must retrieve explosive bolt from Soyuz craft

(Newser) - Two Russian astronauts successfully removed an apparently defective bolt from their Soyuz spacecraft during a risky spacewalk today, the Houston Chronicle reports. The bolt itself packed the punch of an explosive firecracker, so the astronauts had to disconnect it, then stuff it into a steel case. "It's in, thank...

Discovery Returns to Earth
 Discovery Returns to Earth 

Discovery Returns to Earth

Mission saw successful expansion of space station

(Newser) - The space shuttle Discovery swooped back to Earth today after successfully expanding the International Space Station, the AP reports. The shuttle’s seven crew members delivered Kibo, the new billion-dollar Japanese science lab, and a pump to repair a broken toilet. Discovery also brought home flight engineer Garret Reisman, who’...

Astronaut Waves Robot Arm
 Astronaut Waves Robot Arm 

 

Astronaut Waves Robot Arm

Japanese-built device will service equipment from Kibo laboratory

(Newser) - A Japanese astronaut on board the International Space Station successfully unfolded a massive robotic arm from the newly installed Kibo laboratory today, Reuters reports. The arm moved slightly on Saturday, but today’s extension of the 33-foot device was the first full test, Space.com reports. The Japanese-built robot had...

Astronauts Installing New Lab
 Astronauts Installing New Lab 

Astronauts Installing New Lab

Robot arm, Discovery crew members team up to lay groundwork

(Newser) - Two spacewalking astronauts are preparing the enormous Japanese-made Kibo lab for eventual installation on the International Space Station, the Houston Chronicle reports. After getting a late start this morning because of a communications malfunction, Mike Fossum and Ron Garan sped through their checklists and got back ahead of schedule. The...

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