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JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston--Shuttle commander Frederick "C.J." Sturckow, forced by a leaky steering jet to use Discovery's big maneuvering thrusters instead of preferred fine-control vernier engines, deftly guided the spaceplane to a flawless docking with the International Space Station Sunday night to cap a two-day rendezvous.Approaching from directly in front of the laboratory complex as both spacecraft sailed 220 miles above the central Atlantic Ocean at 5 miles per second, the shuttle's payload bay docking port engaged its counterpart on the front end of the station's Harmony module at 7:54 p.m. CDT, about 10 minutes ahead of schedule.The shuttle Discovery,...

EXPLORATION PLAN DOESN'T FIT IN CURRENT BUDGET, PANEL SAYS ---------------------------------------------- A presidential panel wrapping up a review of options for future U.S. manned space flight operations delivered a grim assessment Wednesday, showing NASA's current plan to retire the shuttle, finish the space station and return to the moon by the early 2020s is not even remotely feasible without a significant restoration of previously cut funding. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0908/12augustine/

NASA will likely have to continue flying its aging space shuttle fleet beyond its planned 2010 retirement date in order to complete construction of the International Space Station, a presidential panel said Tuesday. Former astronaut Sally Ride, a member of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, said that it was unlikely NASA could meet the current deadline of retiring the space shuttle by next year, as is currently planned. The first operational flights of the agency's replacement for the shuttle, the Orion spacecraft, may also be delayed a year or so beyond its 2015 target, she added....

Canadian astronauts celebrate milestone Published Saturday July 18th, 2009 The Canadian Press LONGUEUIL, Que. - A bear hug in space between two Canadian astronauts marked a history-making moment as Julie Payette floated into the International Space Station and was greeted by fellow Canadian Bob Thirsk. It marked the first time two Canadian astronauts were in space together at the same time. Payette was a member of the seven-member crew of the space shuttle Endeavour who arrived at the space station Friday afternoon after five technical and weather-related delays. Thirsk was so excited about the Canadian rendezvous that he snapped pictures...

Since we have this great clear summer weather at night, this is a great chance to get out and see the docked International Space Station and Shuttle as they fly overhead. NASA has set up a website to help track these viewing opportunities and there is an "applet" to download to help you track the overhead time according to your Zip Code. http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/JavaSSOP/JavaSSOP.html

I hope the weather is good....

Well since I'm going to be on the road when the Shuttle launches, depending on the weather. I thought I post it now.

Shuttle Endeavour "Go" For Launch Today CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Endeavour is "Go" to launch today, NASA said, after ground crews found no signs of damage from a lightning strike on Friday. The crews completed all the necessary check outs of the vehicle's critical systems and cleared the shuttle for lift off this morning around 9:00 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT). Endeavour is now slated to blast off this evening at 7:13 p.m. EDT (2313 GMT) from Launch Pad 39A here at Kennedy Space Center.

The launch of US shuttle Endeavour is to be further delayed after a thunderstorm around Cape Canaveral, Nasa officials say. Blast-off has been postponed for 24 hours to allow technical teams to assess the effects of lightning strikes near the launch pad on Friday. Two previous launch attempts in June were scrapped because of a potentially hazardous leak in a hydrogen vent line. The craft is to take and install a last piece of Japan's space station lab. Lift-off had been scheduled for 1939 local time (2339 GMT). But on Friday evening, the area surrounding the launch pad was hit...

Launch countdown operations are continuing on schedule today at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The countdown to space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 launch began on time July 8 at 10 p.m. EDT.

FTL writes "While in orbit a metal knob floated between a window and the dashboard of Atlantis. Once back on Earth, the shuttle contracted, wedging the knob firmly in place and damaging the window. Initial attempts to free the knob have failed and engineers may need six months to disassemble that section of the orbiter. Given that the shuttle program will probably end next year anyway, such a delay might mean scrapping Atlantis early rather than repairing it. Efforts to remove the knob using less invasive techniques continue."

Meetings have been taking place on Wednesday into evaluating damage to the pressure pane on Atlantis’ number 5 window, after a work light knob was observed to be embedded between the pane and the dashboard panel. The damage can only be fully assessed once the knob is removed, with the threat of a six month schedule impact to STS-129 noted, should the damage prove to be unacceptable for flight. STS-129/Atlantis Processing Latest: Recently returned to the home comforts of her Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF 1) after the successful STS-125 mission, Atlantis is being processed for the November 12 NET (No...

NASA'S space shuttle Atlantis has been caught in a stunning snap silhouetted against the sun. The pic — the first ever image taken of a solar transit of a space shuttle and Hubble Space Telescope — was taken by an amateur astronomer from his back garden.

Five hundred and sixty kilometers above the Earth, the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis has been busy giving the Hubble Telescope a tune-up. For this mission, in addition to his tool kit, Mike Massimino has packed a small cache of objects that holds deep meaning for him. He has a family photo and school mementos, and this Catholic man is also carrying a mezuzah, a symbol of the Jewish faith. Mezuzah means "doorpost" in Hebrew. Jews attach them to the doorposts of their homes. Tiny prayer scrolls inside serve as reminders to live faithful lives with compassion, honesty and...

Space shuttle Atlantis has reached the Hubble telescope, orbiting at a height of 560km (350 miles) over the Earth. The shuttle crew completed a delicate dance of manoeuvres intended to align Atlantis' robotic arm with the telescope during their approach. The arm was used to get hold of Hubble and draw it into the shuttle's bay. At 1912 BST, Nasa controllers confirmed that the telescope had been safely berthed and secured atop a platform in Atlantis' payload bay. Five spacewalks beginning on Thursday will upgrade and repair the telescope, which has suffered from recent equipment failures. On the final approach,...

The results of misbegotten space policy choices over the past decades are finally coming to a head in the new administration. The cans have been kicked down the road as far as possible with regard to when to retire the space shuttle, and the future of NASA’s human space flight program in general and the International Space Station (ISS) in particular. Indeed, we’re reaching a point of no return. Fortunately, at least some uncertainty has been reduced with recent reports that the U.S. is moving toward a decision to continue supporting ISS through 2020, despite the fact that it will...

Space Shuttle Damaged After Lift-Off Updated 2:47 PM EDT, Tue, 12, 20 May09 The space shuttle Atlantis suffered damage to the exterior two minutes after take-off. Astronauts discovered a 21-inch stretch of nicks over four or give of thermal times on the right side of Atlantis.

The Atlantis astronauts have uncovered a long stretch of nicks on their space shuttle, the result of launch debris. They were inspecting their ship Tuesday for signs of launch damage when they came across the nicks. Mission Control informed the crew that it's a 21-inch stretch of nicks over four to five thermal tiles on the right side of Atlantis. The damage is where the right wing joins the fuselage. Mission Control says it could be related to debris that came off the fuel tank almost two minutes after liftoff. NASA says the damage does not appear to be serious,...

Final preparations are under way for NASA's planned launch next week of the space shuttle Atlantis to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The weather looks promising for the shuttle's planned liftoff May 11 at 2:01 p.m. EDT (1802 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters predicted an 80 percent chance of favorable weather that day, with a small risk of clouds or showers that could prevent a launch. If the shuttle is unable to lift off Monday, NASA can try again May 12 and May 13, though there is only a...

Just discovered that the Science Station will broadcast a show before and during the Hubble Repair Mission launch next Monday. Show will start at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. This mission, if it's successful, will increase all of Hubble's information gathering capacity by 10 to 30 times.

Wright-Patterson museum asks for a space shuttle Monday, April 6, 2009 3:11 AM DAYTON DAILY NEWS DAYTON -- The U.S. Air Force museum is making a bid to land one of NASA's space shuttles after the fleet is retired in late 2010. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley sent a letter to the space agency in March making the request. NASA hasn't indicated when it will make a decision on where the retired orbiters will be displayed. NASA spokesman Mike Curie said it is in everyone's interest to find a location where the shuttles can be seen by the greatest number...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – The space shuttle that will carry NASA's last crew to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope was moved to its Florida launch pad on Tuesday in preparation for liftoff on May 12. Shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven astronauts were due to launch six months ago, but the failure of a computer aboard Hubble prompted NASA to delay the flight. Replacing the computer, which prepares data from Hubble's science instruments to be relayed back to Earth, was added to the long list of chores the astronauts will tackle during five days of spacewalks. Hubble, which...

NASA will showcase the next generation of spacecraft that will return humans to the moon in a day-long public event March 30 on the National Mall in Washington. The full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle will be parked on the Mall between 4th and 7th Streets, SW, in front of the National Air and Space Museum. Reporters are invited to attend a briefing by the vehicle at 10 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft mockup is on its way from water testing at the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division in Bethesda to open water testing in the Atlantic off...

NASA managers said Saturday that space shuttle Discovery is ready for Sunday’s launch opportunity as repairs on a leaking gaseous hydrogen vent line are moving along smoothly. “I think we’re in really good shape,” said Mike Moses, chairman of the Mission Management Team that reviewed the shuttle’s readiness. Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director, said the work to replace a suspect quick disconnect assembly on the launch pad is about three hours behind schedule, but that will not delay the countdown. Leak checks will be performed later tonight. “We feel really good and we’re really excited about launching tomorrow,” Leinbach...

The space shuttle Discovery is on track for a planned Sunday evening launch, pending the successful repair of a hydrogen gas leak that prevented an attempted liftoff earlier this week, NASA officials said today. Engineers have been studying the problem, a hydrogen gas leak from a vent line connected to the vehicle's external fuel tank, that thwarted a launch attempt on Wednesday. Ground crews are in the process of replacing the connector segments between the vent line and the tank in hopes that this will enable Discovery to liftoff on Sunday at 7:43 p.m. EDT (2343 GMT).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA postponed the launch of space shuttle Discovery just hours before it was to head to the international space station Wednesday because of a hydrogen gas leak that could have been catastrophic at liftoff. The leak was in the same system that has already caused a vexing one-month delay. Shuttle managers were shooting for another launch attempt Thursday night provided they could fix the problem quickly.

US Apache Helicopter crews were on a training mission with foreign pilots on the morning of February 1, 2003. Gun-camera footage picks up the shuttle as it enters the atmosphere over Central Texas...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's soon-to-be-retired space shuttles are up for grabs. The space agency said Wednesday it's looking for ideas on where and how best to display its space shuttles once they stop flying in a few years. It's put out a call to schools, science museums and "other appropriate organizations" that might be interested in showcasing one of the three remaining shuttles. Beware: NASA estimates it will cost about $42 million to get each shuttle ready and get it where it needs to go, and the final tab could end up much more.

More than 150 readers have contacted us to say they heard the twin sonic boom produced by the space shuttle Endeavour moments before it made a perfect landing at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. We’re hearing from people everywhere from Rancho Santa Margarita to Irvine to Fullerton to Chino to Panorama City, Palmdale, Burbank and Ventura.

(CNN) -- Flight controllers will try for a landing of the space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts at Edwards Air Force Base, in California, on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. PT (7:25 pm ET). The shuttle was originally scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, but poor weather is preventing that. NASA officials earlier Sunday waved off two opportunities for Endeavour to land in Florida. Wind, rain and reports of thunderstorms within 30 miles of the shuttle landing facility at Kennedy Space Center prompted NASA to cancel the two landing attempts, which had been scheduled for 1:19 p.m....

This is the live thread for the Space Shuttle Endeavour Landing (despite the missing tools in space). It was a good mission, however, I do have mix feelings about drinking urine..

This is the official live thread of the Space Shuttle Endeavour... To get up to date information go to the following sites: www.nasa.govwww.nasaspaceflight.com

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In an unprecedented step, a space shuttle was moved to the launch pad Friday for a trip NASA hopes it will never make — a rescue mission. The shuttle Endeavour is on standby in case the seven astronauts who go up on Atlantis next month need a safer ride home.

In my recent letter to you concerning the TTC, I misquoted some information about the company known as Cintra. Mr. Patrick Rhodes of Cintra wrote in response to my mistake. Therefore, I stand corrected with the following: Fellow citizens, the company, Cintra, is not affiliated with ZAI-ACS. Cintra is partnered with Zachry on some TxDOT projects and ACS is partnered with Zachry on some other TxDOT projects. Therefore, I hope this clarifies the over-zealous statements in my letter. Cintra is a Spanish-owned company, and ACS is a larger Spanish-owned company. Zachry, a Texas company, is affiliated with each of them...

Acknowledging that a NASA authorization bill is unlikely to be enacted this year, three Republican senators – including presidential candidate John McCain (R-Ariz.) – have written President George W. Bush imploring him to direct NASA to hold off for at least a year taking any action that would preclude the agency from flying space shuttles beyond 2010. McCain, joined by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and David Vitter (R-La.), also cited Russia's recent military incursion into neighboring Georgia earlier this month as evidence that Russia's continued cooperation on the international space station program should not be taken for granted. Once...

For years, patients staying in Rochester have used free shuttles to get to Mayo Clinic. But now higher fuel prices and the slumping economy are creating a whole new hardship for people already on a tough road. Maybe you can imagine how tough it is for a person battling a life-threatening condition. Now many who have turned to Mayo in Rochester face a new and unexpected battle. Sharon Irwin, Kidney Transplant patient, says, "This is my second kidney, so I lost my first one two years ago." With a new kidney and the pain that comes with it, Sharon Irwin...

Seven NASA astronauts are eagerly looking forward to a risky, but pivotal, shuttle flight to the Hubble Space Telescope this fall. Veteran shuttle commander Scott Altman and his crew are preparing to launch in early October aboard the Atlantis orbiter on what is expected to be NASA's final service call on the iconic space observatory. The telescope passed its 100,000th orbit around Earth on Monday. "What we want to do, though, is refurbish the Hubble so that it can operate as long as possible," Altman said during a series of NASA interviews released on Monday. "We're going to add some...

In a news conference Monday, NASA managers discussed how the agency will be adjusting the budget, schedule and technical performance milestones for its Constellation Program to ensure the first crewed flight of the Ares I rocket and Orion crew capsule in March 2015. The Constellation Program is developing the spacecraft and systems, including the Ares I and Ares V rockets, the Orion crew exploration vehicle, and the Altair lunar lander, that will take astronauts to the International Space Station after the retirement of the space shuttle, and eventually return humans to the moon. "Since the program's inception, NASA has been...

It was a good mission and I'm glad to see the ISS is taking shape. As for the object, not a big deal. My advice for everyone here, before going crazy over something minor or if something goes wrong, listen to NASA, not the media.

HEAVENLY TRIANGLE: Ringed planet, first-magnitude star, crescent moon. Add them all together and you get a heavenly triangle visible tonight. Look up after sunset for Saturn, Regulus and the Moon in scalene formation. http://spaceweather.com/ [note: First, all of this is naked-eye visible (no, you do not need to remove your clothes to see it!). Next, Saturn (in the diagram above) is the large blue dot. They apparently forgot to label it. Saturn will appear brighter and somewhat 'yellowish' compared to the nearby white star Regulus just to its lower right (Saturn is brighter than the star). Mars, a bit further...

HOUSTON (AP) — Space shuttle Discovery's seven-member crew completed an inspection of the spacecraft's wings Sunday afternoon, looking for any signs of damage after launching a day earlier.Discovery, making its way to the international space station, is carrying the orbiting outpost's biggest room by far — Japan's $1 billion lab. The shuttle is also delivering a spare pump for the space station's malfunctioning toilet.But the inspection of the shuttle was not as thorough as it normally is because the school-bus-size lab, named Kibo — Japanese for hope — takes up almost the entire payload bay.That left no room for a...

This will be the official thread for the launching of the Space Shuttle Discovery..

Just logged onto the Space Shuttle schedule and saw that NASA has delayed the Space Shuttle mission to the Hubble Telescope from August 28 to October 8. It looks like a May 22 update, so I'm going to assume this may be breaking news. Anyone have further details?

Jon Edwards often manages what appears impossible. He has recovered precious data from computers wrecked in floods and fires and dumped in lakes. Now Edwards may have set a new standard: He found information on a melted disk drive that fell from the sky when space shuttle Columbia disintegrated in 2003. "When we got it, it was two hunks of metal stuck together. We couldn't even tell it was a hard drive. It was burned and the edges were melted," said Edwards, an engineer at Kroll Ontrack Inc., outside Minneapolis. "It looked pretty bad at first glance, but we always...

Using data recovered from a damaged computer hard-drive that was aboard the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, scientists have recently learned more about why the act of shaking a material can quickly transform it into something completely different. One of the best examples of this phenomenon is ordinary ketchup. Shake the bottle and the semi-solid paste becomes a runny liquid. Food scientists do the shaking in a controlled way by putting ketchup (and other processed foods) into a rheometer (rheo, meaning "flow") to see how its viscosity -- the scientific word for stickiness -- decreases when shaken. Robert Berg...

MOSCOW — The crew of the Soyuz capsule that landed hundreds of miles off target in Kazakhstan last weekend was in serious danger during the descent, a Russian news agency reported today. Interfax quoted an unidentified space official as saying the capsule entered Earth's atmosphere with the hatch first instead of with its heat shields leading the way. As a result, the hatch suffered significant damage. The official also said the TMA-11 capsule's antenna burned up during Saturday's descent, meaning the crew couldn't communicate properly with Russian Mission Control. The Soyuz crew included U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, South Korea's first...

As the legend goes, when the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez landed in what is now Mexico in 1519, he ordered the boats that brought him and his men there to be burned. Obama seems to have something similar planned for NASA. Although the MSM has largely ignored Barack Obama's plans for NASA, the issue is likely to bubble up during the general election campaign, if he's the Democratic nominee. Here's why. There's a potential confluence of two events - one possible and one planned: an Obama presidency and a mission shift already underway at NASA. The Space Shuttle program will...

Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Apr 17, 2008 The cargo aboard the space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-124 already has traveled halfway around Earth, more than 10,000 miles over land and sea. It's now ready for the culmination of its 23-year journey to the International Space Station. Hope will take flight on Discovery. Or rather, the centerpiece of Kibo, a laboratory complex named for the Japanese word for hope, will take flight. STS-124 will launch the main segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's - or JAXA's - station laboratory. Kibo's Japanese Pressurized Module, or JPM, is 14.4 feet in diameter...

Hubble servicing mission's launch date threatened BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: March 21, 2008 With the shuttle Endeavour's mission entering the home stretch, shuttle Discovery remains on track for blastoff May 25 to ferry a huge Japanese laboratory module to the international space station. But subsequent near-term flights, including a high-profile mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, could be delayed, sources say, because of ongoing external tank production issues. The tank used by Endeavour for its current mission was the last in the inventory of tanks built before the...