Space

10 February 2008 -- The space shuttle Atlantis completed a giant backflip before its docking Saturday with the International Space Station.

The U.S. space agency NASA says the maneuver allowed crew members aboard the station to look for possible damage to the shuttle's heat shield.

NASA has been concerned about what it calls "foam losses" during the shuttle's launch on Thursday. Cameras detected three instances where insulating foam broke free from the Alantis' external fuel tank shortly after launch.

An earlier inspection by the shuttle's crew found no significant damage.    » read more »

05 February 2008 -- The U.S. Space Agency (NASA) says everything is running smoothly ahead of Thursday's launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, assuming the weather cooperates.

After resolving numerous mechanical glitches, the countdown is on for the lift-off of Atlantis, according to NASA Test Director Steve Payne.

"As of right now, the countdown is proceeding very smoothly," he said. "We have no problems to report, and we are all looking forward to Thursday afternoon's launch."    » read more »

Feb. 4, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - NASA announced a $17.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2009 to continue exploring the solar system, building the International Space Station, studying Earth from space and conducting aeronautics research.

NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale said the increase for NASA's 2009 budget demonstrates President Bush's commitment to the agency's missions. With the increase, NASA still accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget.    » read more »

Jan. 31, 2008 -- WASHINGTON -- For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song -- The Beatles' "Across the Universe" -- directly into deep space at 7 p.m. EST on Feb. 4.    » read more »

Jan. 30, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - NASA senior managers completed a review Wednesday of space shuttle Atlantis' readiness for flight. Pending closure of an issue with a shuttle radiator hose, the STS-122 mission will launch Feb. 7 at 2:45 p.m. EST.    » read more »

Jan. 30, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - NASA issued an environmental impact statement for the Constellation Program Jan. 10.

NASA's Constellation Program is developing a space transportation system that is designed to return humans to the moon by 2020. The Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement concludes that localized and global environmental impacts associated with implementing the program would be comparable to past or ongoing NASA activities.    » read more »

Jan. 30, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - The recent flyby of Mercury by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has given scientists an entirely new look at a planet once thought to have characteristics similar to those of Earth's moon. Researchers are amazed by the wealth of images and data that show a unique world with a diversity of geological processes and a very different magnetosphere from the one discovered and sampled more than 30 years ago.    » read more »

Jan. 28, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - NASA is using a new treadmill that allows people to run while suspended horizontally to help astronauts prepare for long-duration missions to the moon and beyond.

A team of engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland built the Standalone Zero Gravity Locomotion Simulator to imitate conditions astronauts experience while exercising in space. Exercise in microgravity helps lessen the harmful health effects of long-duration space travel, promoting astronauts' well-being and mission success.    » read more »

ARGONNE, Ill. (January 25, 2008) — The most neutron-rich matter that can be made on Earth—the nucleus of the helium-8 atom—has been created, trapped and characterized by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. This new measurement gives rise to several significant consequences in nuclear theory and the study of neutron stars.    » read more »

15 January 2008 -- Washington -- After two launch delays in December 2007 and weeks of testing and modifying an element of the external tank’s fuel sensor system, NASA has targeted February 7 for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis (STS-122) to the International Space Station.

Atlantis and its crew will deliver to the station the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Columbus laboratory. In mid-March, space shuttle Endeavour (STS-123) will deliver Kibo, the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s laboratory module, and Dextre, Canada’s new robotics system.    » read more »

CONTRACT RELEASE : C08-006

HAMPTON, Va. - NASA's Langley Research Center has selected four companies to provide the agency with aerospace model systems and developmental test hardware used for spaceflight, space exploration, flight tests and ground-based tests. The cumulative value of all contracts is a maximum of $30 million over five years. Awardees will compete for orders placed as requirements warrant.    » read more »

Jan. 16, 2008 -- EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, has passed a significant mission milestone. It has completed the first phase of experimental flight tests, which confirmed the structural integrity and performance of the modified 747SP SOFIA aircraft that carries a huge infrared telescope.    » read more »

Jan. 15, 2008 -- BALTIMORE - At a Tuesday ceremony at the National Federation of the Blind, NASA unveiled a new book that brings majestic images taken by its Great Observatories to the fingertips of the blind.    » read more »

Jan. 15, 2008 -- WASHINGTON -- NASA's Constellation Program has released a broad agency announcement for study proposals to evaluate human landing craft concepts for exploring the moon.

The Altair spacecraft will deliver four astronauts to the lunar surface late in the next decade. NASA plans to establish an outpost on the moon through a sustainable and affordable series of lunar missions beginning no later than 2020.    » read more »

Jan. 15, 2008 -- HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - NASA is looking for a fast set of wheels. The 15th annual Great Moonbuggy Race is set for April 4-5. During the race, dozens of high school and college teams careen around a track at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. They pilot wheeled rovers of their own design, and perhaps launch their future as the next generation of lunar explorers.    » read more »