astronauts – News Stories About astronauts - Page 14

UPDATED

Feb 7, 2008 2:11 PM CST

Shuttle Atlantis Lifts Off

Weather doesn't delay mission to international space station after all

(Newser) - After bad weather prompted worries of a further delay, US space shuttle Atlantis successfully blasted into space today, the AP reports. NASA had feared the same cold front that ravaged the South with tornadoes would push the launch to tomorrow, or later. Aboard, with seven astronauts, is the European Space...

Risky Spacewalk Juices Up ISS

Jan 30, 2008 12:57 PM CST

Risky Spacewalk Juices Up ISS

7-hour mission on solar wing improves power supply

(Newser) - US astronauts pulled off a risky repair mission on the International Space Station’s troubled solar wing today, the AP reports. The possibility of electrical shock made the 7-hour spacewalk dangerous, forcing the team to wait until the station was on the dark side of the planet. “Yee-haw! Excellent,...

Space Shuttle Astronauts Gain Fame

Jan 11, 2008 1:20 PM CST

Space Shuttle Astronauts Gain Fame

Hall to welcome 4 newcomers, including leader of Hubble launch mission

(Newser) - Four space shuttle pilots have taken one giant leap toward immortality, NASA announced this week: They'll make up the Astronaut Hal of Fame class of 2008. The inductees, who will be honored at a May ceremony, include the commanders who presided over the initial assembly of the International Space Station...

NASA Plans Daring Hubble Fix

Jan 9, 2008 12:42 PM CST

NASA Plans Daring Hubble Fix

Unprecedented spacewalk will make for spiffier 'scope

(Newser) - Astronauts will save—and drastically upgrade—the Hubble Space Telescope in an unprecedented mission this year, NewScientist Space reports. The mission will make the Hubble 90 times more powerful than it originally was, but will require spacewalkers to complete a delicate electronics repair job in zero gravity while wearing bulky...

In Space,
a Son Mourns
His Mother

Dec 20, 2007 7:40 AM CST

In Space, a Son Mourns His Mother

Space Station astronaut Daniel Tani's mom dies in car accident

(Newser) - Astronaut Daniel Tani, orbiting 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station, learned yesterday that his 90-year-old mother, Rose, had been killed when her car was struck by a freight train outside Chicago, reports the Chicago Tribune. Police said she drove around a school bus stopped at the...

100th Spacewalk Marks Milestone

Dec 18, 2007 6:13 PM CST

100th Spacewalk Marks Milestone

'King of mind boggling,' astronaut says; new record set for female walk time at ISS

(Newser) - An inspection of two faulty parts of the International Space Station today marked its 100th spacewalk, Space.com reports. Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Dan Tani, about to make the nearly seven-hour walk, were surprised to hear the news. "It is kind of mind boggling," Tani said. "I...

Atlantis Set to Launch Today Despite Flaws

Dec 9, 2007 5:15 AM CST

Atlantis Set to Launch Today Despite Flaws

Shuttle to lift off with stricter rules in controversial decision

(Newser) - With tighter safety guidelines in place, NASA plans to go forward this afternoon with the launch of the Atlantis, although the problem of the shuttle's faulty fuel sensors remains unresolved. Following three days of debate, NASA engineers agreed unanimously that the shuttle could launch safely, though the decision has sparked...

Atlantis May Try Again Tomorrow

Dec 7, 2007 5:23 PM CST

Atlantis May Try Again Tomorrow

Delays or a dangerous bypass are the only options

(Newser) - NASA plans to launch the space shuttle Atlantis tomorrow, assuming engineers can figure out how to fix malfunctioning fuel sensors, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The glitches forced the space agency to postpone yesterday's original launch and another today. "We want to sleep on it," said a NASA official,...

Astronauts Wire Up 'Harmony'

Nov 20, 2007 7:22 PM CST

Astronauts Wire Up 'Harmony'

Two spacewalkers attach a new room to international space station

(Newser) - Two astronauts set up a new room on the international space station today, the AP reports. Their relatively quick, successful work was greeted with smiles from Mission Control: The room has to be functional before NASA can send up its next shuttle, currently scheduled for a Dec. 6 launch, which...

1 Small Disc, 1 Giant Message

Nov 17, 2007 10:02 AM CST

1 Small Disc, 1 Giant Message

Disc with messages of peace lies in moondust

(Newser) - A tiny disc carrying messages of peace from world leaders has been lying in a small pouch on the moon since 1969, reports Space.com. Space historian Tahir Rahman's new book We Came In Peace For All Mankind tells the story of how the disc came to be there—and...

Discovery to Fly Over US

Nov 6, 2007 1:35 PM CST

Discovery to Fly Over US

Columbia disaster sparked changes in NASA procedures

(Newser) - The space shuttle Discovery will fly across the US tomorrow before landing in Cape Canaveral, a feat NASA hasn’t attempted since the doomed shuttle Columbia rained debris over the country in 2003. New safety procedures have minimized the risk of another disaster, ABC News reports. People below may see...

Discovery Crew Bids Teary Bye

Nov 5, 2007 3:55 AM CST

Discovery Crew Bids Teary Bye

Astros exit space station after 11-day renovation project

(Newser) - Astronauts bid each other teary goodbyes yesterday as the shuttle Discovery prepared to leave the international space station and return to Earth. Seven people will make the two-day journey home, including astronaut Clay Anderson, who completed a 152-day mission aboard the station. Crew member Dan Tani is taking his place...

Crew Begins Solar Panel Repairs

Nov 3, 2007 8:33 AM CDT

Crew Begins Solar Panel Repairs

Astronauts get to work on risky spacewalk

(Newser) - A pair of Discovery astronauts embarked this morning on repairs to a ripped solar panel on the International Space Station in one of the most dangerous and challenging spacewalks ever undertaken, the AP reports. Astronaut Scott Parazynski took a 45-minute trip on a modified robotic arm to the station's far...

Aldrin Likes Nowak's Grit, Bladder Control

Sep 10, 2007 7:31 PM CDT

Aldrin Likes Nowak's Grit, Bladder Control

Lovesick astronaut "admired" by second man on the moon

(Newser) - Second man on the moon Buzz Aldrin salutes lovesick astronaut Lisa Nowak's gritty restroom-less cross-country drive, telling Time: "I think Nowak should be admired for traveling across the country at night and not getting out of her car to put in gas or go to the restroom," he...

NASA Blasts Rumors of Drunken Astronauts

Aug 29, 2007 6:20 PM CDT

NASA Blasts Rumors of Drunken Astronauts

US space agency dismisses inebriation allegations as 'urban legends'

(Newser) - NASA said today there is no truth to allegations that several astronauts were drunk as they were blasted into space, the Miami Herald reports. A month after an independent panel reported vague accounts of astronauts drunk on the job, space agency officials said interviews and a review of 20 years'...

Nowak to Argue Temporary Insanity

Aug 28, 2007 4:01 PM CDT

Nowak to Argue Temporary Insanity

Ex-astronaut's lawyer says he may cite mental disorder

(Newser) - Former astronaut Lisa Nowak will plead temporary insanity if she goes to trial on kidnapping and assault charges next month. A notice her lawyer filed today says she was experiencing a major depressive disorder when she attacked her ex-lover's girlfriend at the Orlando airport in February, the Sentinel reports.

Ex-Astronaut Faces Romantic Rival in Court

Aug 24, 2007 4:37 PM CDT

Ex-Astronaut Faces Romantic Rival in Court

Nowak's alleged victim says she's still afraid

(Newser) - The Air Force captain who was allegedly stalked and attacked by Lisa Nowak testified today she is still afraid of the ex-astronaut. At a pretrial hearing in Orlando, Colleen Shipman told the court she would feel more comfortable if Nowak continues wearing an ankle monitor that tracks her location, the...

Storm Forces Shuttle Home Early

Aug 18, 2007 5:48 PM CDT

Storm Forces Shuttle Home Early

Astronauts wrap up early to reach Houston before Hurricane Dean

(Newser) - NASA managers worried about the wrath of Hurricane Dean have ordered shuttle Endeavour home a day earlier than planned, the AP reports. Astronauts wrapped up a space walk today and prepared for a trip that would leave tomorrow and land in Houston on Tuesday. One astronaut clearly saw the hurricane’...

Astronauts Will Skip Shuttle Fix

Aug 17, 2007 2:57 AM CDT

Astronauts Will Skip Shuttle Fix

NASA decides gash won't be a hazard during re-entry

(Newser) - NASA has decided against a risky spacewalk repair job on the gouged heat shield of the space shuttle Endeavour, AP reports. Engineers concluded that a gash in the tiled underside of the spacecraft will not be a hazard during re-entry. Attempting a repair could risk causing more damage and could...

Space Crew May Try Risky Fix

Aug 14, 2007 3:34 AM CDT

Space Crew May Try Risky Fix

NASA weighs methods to repair gash in shuttle heat shield

(Newser) - Astronauts on board the space shuttle Endeavour will likely attempt a spacewalk to fix a gouge in the craft's heat shield cause by debris that slammed into it during takeoff, USA Today reports. The debris carved a cavity more than three inches long and an inch deep on the tiled...