astronauts – News Stories About astronauts - Page 13

Jun 2, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Shuttle Anchors at Space Station

NASA shuttle brings $1B Japanese module, toilet supplies

(Newser) - NASA's Discovery shuttle hooked up to the international space station today after a 2-day voyage, Space.com reports. Commander Mark Kelly docked at about 2 pm EDT and told the station crew, "We're really looking forward to seeing you guys." "You have no idea how much we're...

Lawmaker Sees Off Spaceman Hubby

Jun 1, 2008 5:07 PM CDT

Lawmaker Sees Off Spaceman Hubby

Arizona rep. married Discovery commander 6 months ago

(Newser) - Arizona lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords waved goodbye as her husband went to work yesterday, in command of the Discovery shuttle. Giffords, who married astronaut Mark Kelly 6 months ago, admits she's nervous about the trip. "You don't really relax" until the shuttle comes home, she told Space.com. "At...

Houston, We Have
a (Potty) Problem

May 27, 2008 7:36 PM CDT

Houston, We Have a (Potty) Problem

The space station's toilet is broken

(Newser) - The three-member crew aboard the International Space Station has a delicate problem—the toilet's on the fritz. The station's liquid-waste collector—a tricky system involving fans and the lack of gravity—is kaput, the New York Times reports. (The solid-waste collector still works.) Astronauts are working on a backup...

Old Columbia Test Sheds Light on Ketchup

May 4, 2008 6:27 PM CDT

Old Columbia Test Sheds Light on Ketchup

Recovered shuttle experiment reveals nature of viscosity

(Newser) - A hard drive recovered from the Columbia shuttle disaster confirms an old theory about why people shake ketchup before pouring it, LiveScience reports. Astronauts on the craft were conducting a zero-gravity experiment with xenon, a gas, to study viscosity, but scientists feared the results were lost after Columbia burned up...

Astronauts OK
After Rough Landing

Apr 19, 2008 9:24 AM CDT

Astronauts OK After Rough Landing

Soyuz capsule veers hundreds of miles off course

(Newser) - Three space travelers returning from the International Space Station are OK after a rough landing hundreds of miles off course in Kazakhstan this morning, Space.com reports. The Soyuz space capsule carrying US astronaut Peggy Whitson, a Russian cosmonaut, and South Korea's first astronaut veered nearly 300 miles off target...

South Korea's
First Astronaut
Docks at ISS

Apr 10, 2008 6:38 PM CDT

South Korea's First Astronaut Docks at ISS

Nation paid $25M to shoot her to the space station

(Newser) - South Korea’s first astronaut arrived at the International Space Station today, and her country must be relieved—having paid $25 million to get her there, Space.com reports. The South Korean president called So-yeon Yi’s mission a “stepping stone” in that country’s fledgling space program; lacking...

Shuttle Returns to Earth

Mar 26, 2008 7:57 PM CDT

Shuttle Returns to Earth

Endeavour makes a rare night landing

(Newser) - The space shuttle Endeavour returned to Earth with a rare night landing to wrap up an ambitious mission to the International Space Station, the AP reports. The shuttle had to land in darkness after NASA called off an earlier attempt because of cloud cover. Astronauts blasted off 16 days ago,...

Endeavour Heads Home

Mar 25, 2008 3:39 AM CDT

Endeavour Heads Home

Crews say farewell as space shuttle undocks from ISS

(Newser) - The space shuttle Endeavour has begun its two-day trip back to Earth after successfully undocking yesterday from the international space station, reports the Houston Chronicle. The seven astronauts on board hailed an "awesome" mission and said fond farewells to their colleagues staying behind. A glitch unlatching a solar panel...

Spacewalking Astronauts
Test Repair Goo

Mar 21, 2008 12:31 PM CDT

Spacewalking Astronauts Test Repair Goo

'Caulk-like' stuff could avert disaster

(Newser) - Spacewalking astronauts successfully tested a high-tech goo that can be used to repair heat shields and help avert a repeat of the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster, the Houston Chronicle reports. In work reminiscent of a “tile-and-grout” job, astronauts sprayed the pink caulk onto shuttle sections that were purposely damaged....

Dextre Moves Into Place,
Awaits First Call

Mar 19, 2008 5:10 AM CDT

Dextre Moves Into Place, Awaits First Call

Gigantic robot successfully added to space station

(Newser) - The giant space robot Dextre moved into his new digs last night, and now resides outside the International Space Station's Destiny lab awaiting his first marching orders. Back at Mission Control the mood is buoyant, reports the Houston Chronicle. "That really was the kind of spacewalk that when it's...

Dextre Tooled Up, Good to Go

Mar 18, 2008 8:33 AM CDT

Dextre Tooled Up, Good to Go

Spacewalkers put finishing touches on giant space robot

(Newser) - Dextre, the colossal space robot, is ready to go and awaiting instructions after astronauts successfully fitted the 12-foot helper with a tool kit and cameras for "eyes" last night, Space.com reports. Dextre is set to take up residence outside the International Space Station's Destiny lab later today and...

Dextre Stretches His Limbs

Mar 17, 2008 10:30 AM CDT

Dextre Stretches His Limbs

Astronauts test space robot, find minor hiccup

(Newser) - Dextre, the International Space Station’s own gigantic space robot, flexed its mighty arms for the first time last night, the Houston Chronicle reports. Astronauts put the bot through its paces, moving and stopping each of its 14 arm joints. Dextre mostly passed the test; every joint moved perfectly save...

Spacewalkers Give Dextre Arms

Mar 16, 2008 7:31 AM CDT

Spacewalkers Give Dextre Arms

7-hour spacewalk brings handyman robot closer to completion

(Newser) - Dextre the space robot now has arms. Astronauts attached them in an overnight spacewalk outside the International Space Station, the second of three that will be needed to bring the $209 million robot fully to life, the Houston Chronicle reports. On Monday, astronauts will give Dextre a tool belt, lights,...

Endeavour Docks After
New Damage Check

Mar 13, 2008 3:45 AM CDT

Endeavour Docks After New Damage Check

Shuttle docks without hitch but launch video shows possible bird hit

(Newser) - The Endeavour docked with the international space station without a glitch yesterday just after the shuttle was again examined for damage, AP reports. The craft did a full backflip before docking so every inch of it could be inspected. Launch videos first revealed that something may have hit the...

Endeavour Blasts Into Space

Mar 11, 2008 6:30 AM CDT

Endeavour Blasts Into Space

Shuttle will dock with space station tomorrow

(Newser) - The shuttle Endeavour thundered off its launch pad early this morning, carrying seven astronauts and two major pieces of hardware to the International Space Station. On board is a $1 billion science module that contains research gear for the station's lab, the first Japanese contribution to the orbital base, reports...

Europe to Launch Space Truck

Mar 8, 2008 3:20 PM CST

Europe to Launch Space Truck

Automated vehicle can haul tons of supplies to space station

(Newser) - Europe is about to launch its most sophisticated spacecraft ever, the BBC reports. The “Jules Verne,” set to take off tomorrow, will deliver supplies to the International Space Station while nudging the station higher into its orbit to prevent it from falling to Earth. The freighter is fully...

Astronauts Will Have to Hitch Rides With
the Russians

Mar 7, 2008 2:04 PM CST

Astronauts Will Have to Hitch Rides With the Russians

NASA will soon have no way to get to ISS

(Newser) - When NASA retires its fleet of space shuttles in 2010, the agency will have no way of sending men into space until 2015, at the earliest, the Washington Post reports. To carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, largely funded by American taxpayers, the US will have to...

Korea's Kimchi Ready for Lift-Off

Feb 28, 2008 8:56 AM CST

Korea's Kimchi Ready for Lift-Off

First Korean astronaut will take along staple dish

(Newser) - South Korea spent millions to make sure its first astronaut is well-prepared for his mission—by perfecting a space-safe kimchi, reports the International Herald Tribune. South Koreans put down 1.6 million tons of the national dish each year, and Ko San will blast off April 8 for a 10-day...

Spacewalkers Upgrade Station

Feb 14, 2008 2:55 AM CST

Spacewalkers Upgrade Station

German astronaut, recovered from illness, fits new tank with US colleague

(Newser) - A German astronaut walked in space with a Yank colleague yesterday to fit the International Space Station with a new tank of nitrogen. Hans Schlegal and US astronaut Max Walheim completed the upgrade in a seven-hour mission, reports Space.com. "Hello to all the people of Germany," Walheim...

Recovered Astronaut
Steps Up for Spacewalk

Feb 13, 2008 4:00 AM CST

Recovered Astronaut Steps Up for Spacewalk

Illness over, German astronaut readies for spacewalk

(Newser) - A German astronaut who was too sick for a scheduled spacewalk earlier this week is feeling much better, and preparing for his first step into the great outdoors today, reports Space.com. "I'm doing very fine," Hans Schlegel, 56, said via videolink from the International Space Station. Schlegel...