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The giant gold and silver satellite glittered against the black sky as space shuttle Atlantis closed in on it from below. Commander Hoot Gibson and pilot Guy Gardner flew the approach, while mission specialist Mike Mullane, at the other end of the flight deck, readied the shuttle’s robot arm for a capture. Downstairs in the airlock, mission specialists Jerry Ross and Bill Shepherd waited in their spacesuits for Gibson’s order to go outside and attempt a rescue. The mission of STS-27 had been to deploy the first in a series of new spy satellites that used radar to observe ground...

Science: For two years, our space agency has refused Freedom of Information requests on why it has repeatedly corrected its climate figures. A leading researcher threatens to sue to find more inconvenient truths. What's become known as "Climate-Gate" may be about to explode on this side of the pond as well. Chris Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, has threatened a lawsuit against NASA if by year-end the agency doesn't honor his FOI requests for information on how and why its climate numbers have been consistently adjusted for errors. "I assume that what is there is highly...

1. Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) high above Earth's rugged terrain, 25 November 2009 (4288 x 2846 pixels) 2. International Space Station over cloudy Earth, 25 November 2009 (4288 x 2846 pixels) 3. NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) high above the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Algeria, 25 November 2009 (4288 x 2846 pixels) Photos and Captions Taken From http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200911.htm (#8, #9, #12) 

Just awesome stuff! http://exposureroom.com/members/minterbartolo.aspx/assets/f18be10bed174e46bc71d3c04c9008d7/

Good Mission.... I'm going to miss the Space Shuttles..

The U.S. space agency says blogs and tweets will be part of the upcoming launch of space shuttle Atlantis and its mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle is to lift off Monday, Nov. 16, at 2:28 p.m. EST from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA said the STS-129 mission will be commanded by Charles Hobaugh and piloted by Barry Wilmore. Mission astronauts are Robert Satcher Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips into space. Atlantis and its crew will deliver equipment to the International Space Station....

Tragedy struck the family of late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon again Sunday, when his son Asaf Ramon was killed in a crash while flying an Israel Air Force aircraft. Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut was one of seven crew members killed when the U.S. space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, 2003. Asaf Ramon's aircraft crashed near the settlement of Bnei Haver, in the rugged terrain of the Hebron Hills. The Israel Defense Forces carried out an aerial and terrestrial search of the area for some 90 minutes before locating the crash site. Advertisement IAF Blackhawk ("Yanshuf") helicopters...

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — Space shuttle Discovery and its seven astronauts took a cross-country detour and landed safely in California on Friday after stormy weather prevented them from returning home to Florida for the second day in a row.

Let's try this again..

I can tell nothing went wrong.. No big media hyperbole..

COULD this footage be proof that aliens are among us? The startling film has been leaked on the internet and UFO watchers reckon it could be proof of a government cover-up. The mystery craft looks far from threatening as it flanks the supersonic F18 fighter above the skies of the US. oof that aliens are among us?

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,...

This is the live thread of the Space Shuttle Discovery Launch... I figure I do it now..

DVR GO!!!

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After last-minute debate over external tank insulation, the shuttle Discovery is poised for launch early Tuesday on a three-spacewalk mission to deliver more than seven tons of supplies, experiment hardware and life-support gear to the International Space Station.

Shuttle streaks toward Earth to end mission CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew are headed back to Earth. Endeavour's pilots fired the braking rockets Friday morning and put the shuttle on a course toward a touchdown at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Landing is scheduled for 10:48 a.m. ET.

SANTA ANA, CA—A former Rockwell and Boeing engineer from Orange County was remanded into custody this morning after a federal judge convicted him of charges of economic espionage and acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China, for whom he stole restricted technology and Boeing trade secrets, including information related to the Space Shuttle program and Delta IV rocket. Dongfan “Greg” Chung, 73, of Orange, Calif., who was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until its defense and space unit was acquired by Boeing in 1996, was found guilty by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 16 (Reuters) - NASA will suspend flights of its space shuttle fleet until it understands why strips of insulating foam peeled off the fuel tank used by shuttle Endeavour, officials said on Thursday.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — As the space shuttle Endeavour lifted off into orbit Monday evening, several pieces of debris fell off the external fuel tank and at least one hit the orbiter.

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 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, said in July that it had found the "smoking gun" that caused the space shuttle Columbia to break apart as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1: a piece of foam that had peeled off the external fuel tank and struck the shuttle's wing 1 minute and 22 seconds after liftoff. But many experts looking at the tragedy that killed seven astronauts say there is a deeper cause. They say that the metaphorical smoking gun should be painted green. Because of demands that the agency help to front for...

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...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Racing against the clock, NASA began fueling shuttle Endeavour for a Wednesday launch to the international space station after thunderstorms caused a three-hour delay. The fueling finally got under way late Tuesday, just when it should have been ending. NASA acknowledged it would be tight to meet the 5:40 a.m. liftoff time. But launch controllers spent the long weather delay figuring out ways to save time during the remainder of the countdown, and mission managers felt they had a good shot at getting Endeavour flying. "We're not going to shortcut anything," said Mike Leinbach, assistant...

NASA scrubs space shuttle launch Leak discovered while the Endeavour was being fueled CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA officials have canceled a planned Saturday launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour due to hydrogen leak. The problem is similar to one the space agency faced in March during the launch countdown of Discovery. The leak was discovered while the space shuttle was being fueled. The astronauts had not yet suited up for the planned morning launch. Earlier, NASA zipped through the final hours of its countdown and it was on track for a Saturday morning launch to the international space station. Slideshow...

EDWARDS AFB - The space shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth Sunday morning in a spectacular and rare landing at Edwards Air Force Base ... Atlantis announced its return to the Valley with its signature double sonic booms ... Atlantis' landing was the 53rd landing at Edwards. The orbiter's twin shocks did not generate as many calls to the Lancaster and Palmdale sheriff's stations as what happened when Endeavour landed. The Lancaster Sheriff's Station reported one call on Sunday,... Deputies at the Palmdale Sheriff's Station also reported a few calls. "We just had a couple, there was one woman that called,...

Third time a charm???

Lets try it again.. I still stand that Humans can do a superior job than robots when it comes to space exploration.

This is the official live thread for the Space Shuttle Atlantis.. This mission among others prove one thing..... Humans can do a job 99 times better than robots..

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,...

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,...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After months of delay, NASA cleared space shuttle Atlantis for a Monday launch to the Hubble Space Telescope. Mission managers concluded Saturday that Atlantis is ready to take off on the long-awaited Hubble repair mission, the fifth and final one. Shuttle Endeavour is also in good shape at the other launch pad; it's on standby in case Atlantis is damaged during the flight and its seven astronauts need to be rescued. Weather forecasters gave good odds for launching Atlantis: 80 percent. What's more, things were looking more encouraging at the emergency landing site in Spain, where...

WASHINGTON — The White House has ordered a complete outside review of NASA's manned space program, including plans to return astronauts to the moon. Officials want a report from an independent panel by August. White House science adviser John Holdren said Thursday that the new panel will look at the design of new spacecraft to replace the space shuttle and go to the moon, as well as consider possible alternatives to the current design. In a letter to NASA, Holdren wrote that because of the magnitude of the manned space program's ambitions and its expense, "it would be only prudent...

A National Aeronautics and Space Administration study warns that budget and technical hurdles will likely delay development of the replacement program for the space shuttle fleet beyond the agency's internal 2014 timetable. The report is the agency's most pessimistic public assessment yet of its ability to meet its own deadline for delivering the new system of rockets and exploration vehicles, called Constellation. It identifies a $1.9 billion "shortfall between the available funding" and the amount needed to achieve initial launch by September 2014. Tooling for parts of Constellation, ground tests and wind-tunnel tests have been deferred or reduced in scope...

Two Japanese LEGOsmiths used a whopping 65,000 bricks and 1,590 man hours to complete the stunning diorama, which even simulates a launch with flashing lights under the boosters and a vocal countdown. The only thing it doesn’t do is lift off.Part of the “Nasu Space Center,” it appeared as a scene in Nasu Highland Park, an amusement park in Japan.Link to more about the LEGO shuttle (with video).

The bat, seen clinging to the external fuel tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery before its launch on Sunday, apparently clung for dear life to the side of the tank as the spaceship lifted off. And what a ride. The shuttle accelerates to an orbital velocity of 17,500 milers per hour, which is 25 times faster than the speed of sound, in just over eight minutes. That's zero to 100 mph in 10 seconds. Did it make it into space? No one knows yet. But photos of Discovery as it cleared the launch tower showed a tiny speck on the...

Bat Hung onto Shuttle During Liftoff 03.17.09 A bat that was clinging to space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank during the countdown to launch the STS-119 mission remained with the spacecraft as it cleared the tower, analysts at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center concluded. Based on images and video, a wildlife expert who provides support to the center said the small creature was a free tail bat that likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist. The animal likely perished quickly during Discovery’s climb into orbit. Because the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge coexists...

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...

If you're along the east coast up to about New York City, you **MAY** be able to see the Shuttle just after takeoff tonight. From NYC it should appear about 8 degrees above the south-west horizon and be visible for around 30-90 seconds (so I'm told). Eight degrees above the horizon is **very low** in the sky, so you will need a **clear, unobstructed view of the south-west horizon** (no trees or buildings in the way --very difficult for NYC). A fist held at arm's length represents about 10 degrees of sky, so try holding your fist out at arm's...

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.

This day in 1986, the day the Challenger exploded, was one of this Nation's worst days on record. Andrea Shea-King was working the launch as a public affairs announcer. She introduced the crew as they headed for the launch pad. From Andrea's post: "As they approached the tv cameras, I keyed the mic. Here's my voice describing the astronauts' walkout."

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts on the shuttle Columbia were trying to regain control of their craft before it broke apart in 2003, but there was no chance of surviving the accident, a NASA report said on Tuesday. From the crew's perspective, the shift from what appeared to be a normal descent on Feb. 1, 2003, into tragedy happened so fast that the astronauts did not even have time to close the visors on their helmets. Columbia broke apart about 20 kilometres over Texas as it headed for landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cause of the...