NASA May Open Competition for Space Station Crew Lifeboat

NASA officials are quietly assessing whether to hold a new competition to build an emergency lifeboat for international space station crews, a move that would scuttle current plans to use the Lockheed Martin-designed Orion capsule for that purpose under an existing contract that would only have to be modified, NASA and congressional sources said.“Continuing on the current contract is the option being assessed, but there is forward work to verify that it is contractually appropriate and the best...

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NASA Spacecraft Penetrates Mysteries Of Martian Ice Cap

Data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have helped scientists solve a pair of mysteries dating back four decades and provided new information about climate change on the Red Planet.The Shallow Radar, or SHARAD, instrument aboard MRO revealed subsurface geology allowing scientists to reconstruct the formation of a large chasm and a series of spiral troughs on the northern ice cap of Mars. The findings appear in two papers in the May 27 issue of the journal Nature."SHARAD is giving us...

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Space Shuttle Atlantis Returning From Final Scheduled Mission

The space shuttle Atlantis is set to return to Earth today, ending its final scheduled mission as NASA ponders whether to launch it on one last trip next year.The spacecraft is scheduled to land at 8:48 a.m. local time at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, following a 12-day trip to the International Space Station. There are no more missions planned for Atlantis, and just two shuttle trips are slated before the program is shut down.Atlantis will be prepared as a potential rescue vehicle...

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NASA TV Carrying Space Station Crew Landing And Next Crew's Launch

NASA Television will cover the June 1 return to Earth of three International Space Station crew members and the June 15 launch of the newest trio of station residents. The new crew will be the 24th to live and work on the orbiting laboratory.Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov, NASA Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi are scheduled to land their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft June 1 on the southern region steppe of Kazakhstan, completing...

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Astronauts need a last inspection of Atlantis

The Atlantis astronauts have some surveying work ahead of them, now that they're flying free of the International Space Station.The six shuttle astronauts will pull out their newly repaired inspection boom on Monday to check for any micrometeorite damage that might have occurred during the past week and a half. A snagged cord prevented them from conducting a proper survey of their ship following liftoff on May 14. The cable was untangled during a spacewalk last week.The survey will also provide...

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Atlantis Astronauts Gear Up for Third and Final Spacewalk

The spacewalking crew of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis will take one final spacewalk of their mission to wrap up a battery upgrade service call on the solar arrays outside the International Space Station.It will be the final spacewalk conducted with Atlantis while it is docked at the station, because this STS-132 mission is the orbiter's last planned flight before retirement.The shuttle Atlantis crew woke Friday morning at 1:50 a.m. EDT (0550 GMT). The spacewalkers are due to begin their excursion...

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NASA And World Science Festival Host Special Tweetup In New York

NASA and the World Science Festival are inviting Twitter followers to a unique behind-the-scenes Tweetup at 2 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 5, in New York City. The event will bring together 100 Twitter users with some of the world's best and brightest scientific minds.Tweetup attendees will have the opportunity to speak with festival co-founder Brian Greene, Nobel-prize winning NASA astrophysicist John C. Mather, and astronaut Leland Melvin, known as @Astro_Flow on Twitter.Registration is open from...

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NASA's Mars Rovers Set Surface Longevity Record

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project will pass a historic Martian longevity record on Thursday, May 20. The Opportunity rover will surpass the duration record set by NASA's Viking 1 Lander of six years and 116 days operating on the surface of Mars. The effects of favorable weather on the red planet could also help the rovers generate more power.Opportunity's twin rover, Spirit, began working on Mars three weeks before Opportunity. However, Spirit has been out of communication since March 22. If...

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Two Atlantis astronauts complete second spacewalk of mission

Two U.S. astronauts conducted the second of three spacewalks for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission on Wednesday, NASA said.According to the U.S. space agency, Atlantis's mission specialists Steve Bowen and Michael Good began the spacewalk at 6:38 a.m. EDT (1038 GMT). During the seven-hour spacewalk, they plugged in four new batteries at the International Space Station and even repaired a loose antenna.Besides, Bowen adjusted a cable on the end of the orbiter boom and used a plastic tie to...

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Atlantis astronauts complete walk

Astronauts on the shuttle Atlantis's latest, and probably, last mission to the space station have made their first spacewalk.Mission specialists Garrett Reisman and Steve Bowen ventured outside the platform to install an antenna and a robot tool tray.Atlantis arrived at the station on Sunday following a picture perfect launch from Florida on Friday.The ship's crew of six are spending the next week at the 350km-high outpost.Other key tasks will include the replacement of six large batteries and the...

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Nasa shuttle Atlantis arrives at space station for its final mission

The space shuttle Atlantis has arrived safely at the International Space Station on its final mission to the orbital outpost.Atlantis commander Ken Ham inched his 100-tonne spaceship into a docking port yesterday afternoon as the shuttle and station soared around the planet at 17,500 mph.'Welcome to station,' flight engineer Soichi Noguchi radioed to the Atlantis crew.The hatch between the two spacecrafts were opened at 4.18pm (GMT), when the Atlantis crew doubled the population on the ISS to twelve.It's...

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NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis Lifts Off to Put Finishing Touches on the International Space Station

One of the final space shuttle visits to the International Space Station began at 2:20 p.m. Friday with the launch of Atlantis and six astronauts from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will deliver cargo, critical spare parts and a Russian laboratory to the station.The third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010, this was the last planned launch for Atlantis. The Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 is inside the shuttle's cargo bay. Also known as Rassvet (dawn in Russian),...

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Space Shuttle Launch Today – NASA is All Set to Launch Space Shuttle Atlantis

On Wednesday, NASA confirmed the launch of space shuttle Atlantis for May 14th at 2:20 pm, Eastern. The countdown has begun and the shuttle will be launched today from Florida’s Kennedy Space center. The shuttle will carry out it’s 12 day trip to the International Space Station to deliver an integrated cargo carrier and a mini research module that was built by Russia.The shuttle will carry 6 crew members. In addition to the Russian module, they’ll also be delivering supplies to the Space Station...

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NASA To Fund Innovative Museum Exhibits And Planetarium Shows

Innovative planetarium shows and traveling museum exhibits are among nine projects NASA has selected to receive agency funding this year. NASA's Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums will provide $7 million in grants to enhance educational outreach related to space exploration, aeronautics, space science, Earth science and microgravity.This year's grants to nine informal education providers range from approximately $177,000 to $1.25 million and have a maximum five-year performance...

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NASA Sets Launch Date For Space Shuttle Atlantis

Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to begin a 12-day flight to the International Space Station with a launch at 2:20 pm EDT on Friday, May 14, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-132 mission is Atlantis' final scheduled flight.Atlantis' launch date was announced Wednesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment,...

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NASA Flight Directors Available For Interviews On Shuttle Atlantis' Last Scheduled Mission

NASA Flight Directors Michael Sarafin of Herkimer, N.Y., and Emily Nelson of Austin, Texas, are available for live satellite interviews from 6 to 7 a.m. CDT Friday, May 7. Nelson and Sarafin will discuss the upcoming space shuttle Atlantis STS-132 mission to the International Space Station and their roles as flight directors.The shuttle and its crew are scheduled to lift off at 2:20 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 14 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission currently is the last flight scheduled...

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